When A Man Loves A Woman
by Northern-Southern Belle
Summary: The joy of Selina's latest pregnancy is not shared by all of her and Elijah's children as Laura deals with Eli helping to rehabilitate Rebecca by living with her in an isolated house in the woods after an accidental kidnapping by Doctor Vladimir's henchman who mistook her for Gwen leaves her with a drastic personality change. Crossover with Wicked Games.
1. Prisoner

**Disclaimer: Only plot and original characters belong to me!**

"Dad, have you ever had a woman smash your heart into a million tiny pieces?" Eli asked Edward.

"Yep," Edward nodded. "Every day of my life until I met your mother. Girls your age, for the most part, just don't appreciate an intelligent man." He paused. "Now just so that I know, who was this girl?"

"It was nobody at school," Eli replied. "All the girls at school are idiots. It was Rebecca. She was in love with her brother (which is okay, cause she was adopted), and he likes Vivi, so he broke it off with Rebecca, then called me cause he thought I could cheer her up. But all she did was get angry at me and say she didn't want a stupid kid like me going after her."

"I'm sorry," Edward replied and gave Eli a hug. "But maybe you've underestimated the girls at school. Maybe they aren't as judgmental as you think."

"And I always have my powers," Eli added.

"Eli, my god!" Edward replied. "You shouldn't use your powers to get a girl to like you!"

"I wasn't actually going to," Eli assured his father quickly. "But I'm saying that if I was an unscrupulous person, it would be an option."

"Well, I'm relieved," Edward replied. "Cause I know rejection stings. But it also makes it all the more wonderful when you find someone who likes you for you."

"Yes, yes, I know," Eli nodded. "I get it."

"Good," Edward smiled. "And good luck."

"Thanks, Dad," Eli replied and headed back to his room to get himself in the mindset to actually do what he'd promised his father.

* * *

Even though Eli was making a definite effort to obey Rebecca's wishes (as well as maintain his own sense of self-respect), by leaving her alone, he still knew that on some level, he cared about her very much. One night, he went out to a bar with some friends and, just by chance, Rebecca (who was walking as if she were _very_ inebriated already) came stumbling in a few minutes after he did. She saw him and immediately came over. "What are you doing here?" She slurred. "I told you to leave me alone!"

"And I'm _trying_ to!" Eli shot back as he tried to keep her upright. "I didn't come here to bother you. I'm here with friends for reasons that have nothing to do with you! I _do_ have other interests in my life, you know."

"Yeah, right," Rebecca replied and struck him in the face before a large man came up to her. "Is this young man bothering you?" He asked.

"Yes," Rebecca replied. "Get me away from him!"

"All right," The man said and then picked her up to carry her out of the bar. Rebecca was so drunk that she didn't protest right away, but Eli followed the pair, and when the man noticed him, he pushed Eli away, zapped himself into his car, and drove off before Eli could catch up. Swearing and panting, he kicked a fire hydrant and went back to the bar, knowing that even if he had the speed to catch up to Rebecca, he wouldn't necessarily be able to find her yet. And that's what he would do, no matter how cruelly she treated him. Cause he loved her, and his feelings were so much a part of him that it didn't even matter if she didn't love him back. He would rescue her anyway because he wanted her to have a good life, even if it wasn't with him.

* * *

When the car arrived at Doctor Vladimir's compound, Rebecca was pulled out of it just as roughly as Regina had been or possibly even more so. Her hands had been tied behind her back, she had been gagged, and a sack had been put over her head. She was bruised and bleeding both from the rough ride _and_ what had been done to her to keep her silent. Finally, her captors let her pause and the bag and gag were removed as a very ruffled Rebecca squinted in the light.

"We got her," the men told Demetri. "You sent us out to look for Gwen, and here she is! She was a lot easier to catch than you said she would be. We were expecting her to resist much, _much_ more."

Demetri barely turned before a stream of swears escaped from his lips. "You idiots!" He cried. "The reason why she was so easy to catch is that this is _not_ Gwen!"

The two goons looked at one another and gulped nervously. "It's not? But you said she was a blonde with blue eyes!"

"And you apparently missed me saying that she was much older than this woman is!" Demetri cried and pulled a groaning Rebecca to himself. "This woman is too young!"

"You're looking for a Gwen?" Rebecca asked, her voice shaking and sounding like she was on the verge of tears despite how inebriated she was. "My mother is named Gwen."

"Ahhh, how interesting!" Demetri replied and then looked at the two men who'd brought her in. "You may not have made as big of a mistake as I originally believed you did," he said, his previously stormy dark eyes lightening a little. "Stay right where you are. Don't move a muscle. I'm going to take her to Doctor Vladimir to see what should be done next. I don't know how mad he'll be that you were stupid enough to get the wrong woman, but just _pray _he's in a merciful mood."

The men nodded and still looked frightened as Demetri pulled Rebecca along after him, and they plodded behind, only pausing when they reached the doctor's office door.

"What is it?" Doctor Vladimir called after Demetri knocked. "Has Gwen arrived yet?"

"Not exactly, Doctor," Demetri replied. This caused Doctor Vladimir to open the door immediately. "What do you mean 'not exactly'?" He asked. "You promised me that you had competent help, Demetri. We can't afford to mess up now!"

"They brought Gwen's daughter instead of Gwen herself," Demetri replied, wincing and stepping away as Rebecca threw up on the floor. "And she's either ill or very inebriated."

Doctor Vladimir sighed. "Get her to a cell," he said. "Maybe the one across from Regina so the two of them will have some company."

"Yes, sir," Demetri nodded. "And what about those two?" He gestured at the henchmen, whose heads were hung in shame. "What should I do with them?"

"Don't punish them," Doctor Vladimir said, causing them to bring their heads up. "Their mistake could be a blessing in disguise. Instead of wasting time capturing Gwen, who is very strong and smart, and would waste a lot of time fighting us rather than acquiescing immediately, all we have to do is tell her that we have her daughter and will harm her if she doesn't do as we say. We get what we want without any death or bloodshed. Believe me boys: nothing inspires selfless heroics in a mother like knowing that her child is in danger."

"So you want us to contact Gwen right now?" Demetri asked.

"No, not yet," Doctor Vladimir shook his head as Demetri's goons took Rebecca to her cell and locked her in while Regina looked on, worried but unable to help, her face pressed against the bars hard enough to make impressions in her cheeks. "We'll wait until she realizes Rebecca is missing. There's no use playing our hand too early."

"Yes, Doctor," Demetri inclined his head. "What would you like me to do now?"

"Go talk to Declan," he said. "I want to make sure that Regina is being taken care of just as I requested."

"All right, Doctor," Demetri nodded. "I will."

* * *

"What's that face?" Selina asked, noting Elijah's sour expression when he returned home from Klaus' after his brother had called, wanting to share some news a couple hours before. "Did your brother say something that upset you?"

"Yes," Elijah huffed, sitting down heavily on the sofa. "Apparently, Amy is expecting. That sneaky woman made a deal with Astrid and now she's as fertile as she was before Niklaus killed her!"

"Oh, so your winning that silly competition between you and your brother about who can father more children is no longer a guarantee," Selina smiled. "I'm sorry."

"I know you said you wanted to wait until Ethan was eighteen to have children, but can we start now, please?" Elijah asked. "This is _very_ important!"

Selina sighed, but gave him a small smile. "Oh, fine," she said. "We might as well. I knew you were gonna ask sooner than I planned. That's why I didn't take my pill this morning. And yes, I know I'm wonderful, but feel free to mention it…_several times_ would be the ideal amount."

"You're wonderful!" Elijah replied. "You don't know how happy you've made me."

"It's no problem," Selina told him. "But why you're so eager to deal with me when I'm fat, moody, pushy and more than willing to eat you out of house and home is beyond me."

Elijah smiled and gave her a hug. "Don't be so hard on yourself," he told her. "You're none of those things. I think you're as beautiful when you're pregnant as when you're not."

"Oh, you flatterer!" Selina smiled. "And remember your promise to be more involved with this next kid. Don't forget it."

"Oh, I won't," Elijah replied. "Don't worry."

"Good," Selina nodded. "You know, it's sorta fun that me and Amy are gonna be having kids around the same time. We can raise them together and exchange outfits if they're both girls or boys, and they'll be best friends…I've not had that with anyone since Astrid had Helene."

"You see?" Elijah replied. "This pregnancy won't be good for just me. It'll be good for both of us."

"Well then, what are we sitting here talking about it for?" Selina asked. "Let's get in bed and fucking do it!"

"You don't have to tell me twice," Elijah replied. Then he picked her up, carried her to bed, locked the door, and hoped that no one would come home unexpectedly and interrupt them.


	2. A Dangerous Dance

"So…how are we this morning?" Elijah asked Selina about a week later.

"Sorry to disappoint you," she told him. "But I feel fine."

"That's not a disappointment," Elijah replied. "I'm glad you're okay!"

"You don't fool me," Selina told him. "I know what you're waiting for: the dulcet tones of me puking in the bathroom at two in the morning."

"Has it ever taken you this long to get pregnant before?" Elijah asked.

"It's only been a week!" Selina replied. "Relax!"

But in the next few days, she was hit with a wave of exhaustion and dizziness that was uncharacteristic of her. Elijah took this as a sign that his dream had come true, and even as Selina was coming back from the store with pregnancy tests to be sure, she heard Elijah on the phone, bragging to his brother that they now both had pregnant wives.

"Were you seriously calling Klaus?" Selina asked as she emerged from the bathroom. "Was that really necessary when we don't even know for sure yet that I'm pregnant?"

"Well, how could you not be?" Elijah asked. "You never act this tired and uncoordinated normally."

They then stood and stared at the test, waiting to see what it said. When it read 'pregnant'," Elijah jumped up and down and said, "There! I told you!"

Selina scoffed. "Congratulations to you for knowing my body better than I do."

"I wouldn't say I know it _better,_" Elijah replied. "But after so many years, I ought to know a thing or two shouldn't I?"

"You make a good point," Selina nodded. "But I still don't believe you know my body better than I do." She then said, "I guess this means I'm gonna have to go find a new doctor. I mean, Astrid's too busy to take time to look me over, and Enid is gone. I think I'm gonna go ask Amy who she's using."

"You know, that's a very good idea," Elijah replied. "Do you need me to come with you when you go?"

"No, thanks," Selina shook her head. "I should be fine."

"All right," Elijah replied. "See you when you get back."

* * *

Selina nodded, got in her car, and drove to Klaus and Amy's, where her conversation with her ex-husband was brief and she was relieved to hear that Amy was feeling well that day.

They sat down together at the kitchen table, and Amy smiled. "So…you're pregnant too?" She asked.

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "I just found out before I came here to see you."

"Well, that will be nice, I think," Amy replied. "Our kids could grow up to be friends."

Selina smiled. "You know, I haven't felt this sort of camaraderie with anyone since Astrid was pregnant with Helene and Adrian was little, so I think it's kind of nice."

"Yeah," Amy nodded. "Me too."

"Now, I came over here not only to see you, but to ask you a question: I need a new doctor; does yours accept patients like me?" Selina asked.

"Actually, he specializes in witches only," Amy replied. "But he has a colleague who would be more than happy to look after you."

"Is that so?" Selina asked. "I'm surprised that there are magical doctors who know how to deal with other species."

"Well, that's part of Astrid's legislation," Amy said. "Now that couples from different species can marry, doctors have to have at least a theoretical knowledge of how to deal with pregnancies from people of other species, even if they only specialize in witches."

"That's nice," Selina replied. "So this doctor, what's he like? Have you met him?"

"Not personally," Amy replied. "But my doctor, Doctor Pratt, has mentioned that this other doctor is looking for clients, so he'd be more than eager to take you. His name is Doctor Walker. Doctor Joel Walker."

"All right," Selina replied as Amy wrote down the number of the hospital and the address. "That sounds good. Thank you so much for your help."

"Oh, you're welcome," Amy replied. "It's no trouble at all. Now, what are you thinking for names? Do you have any ideas yet?"

* * *

Selina was feeling pretty nervous when, a few days later, she made her first trip to what had once been a hospital that catered entirely to witches and warlocks. She found the right office and went up to the receptionist. "Hi," she said. "I'm Selina and I have a two o'clock appointment with Doctor Walker."

"Oh, you're a lucky woman," the receptionist smiled at her. "Doctor Walker's a good man. He works well with his hands."

"Good to know," Selina nodded. "I'll be sure not to let my husband know that." She waited until the nurse called her name and then followed the woman to room three, where a man with brunette hair and wearing a doctor's coat stood with his back to her. "Doctor Walker?" She asked. "I'm Selina, your two o'clock.""Yes," he said and turned, making Selina gasp and collapse on the chair nearest the door. He looked exactly like Elijah! Her mouth opened and closed and she blinked several times. "Are you all right?" The doctor asked, noticing this. "Can I get you water or something?"

"No, thanks," Selina shook her head, proud that she could finally get the words out. "Forgive me…you remind me of someone."

"I do?" Doctor Walker asked, smiling the smile that made her insane with desire when it was on Elijah. "Well, I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. And you can call me Joel if you want to. I don't care much for formalities."

"Oh, let's just say it's a good thing, Joel," Selina replied. She then got on the table and let him look her over.

"So, you're a rare pregnant vampire," He remarked. "I've never actually seen one, so you'll have to help me out a little."

"All right," Selina nodded and let out her breath. "Well, this whole 'being pregnant' thing is kind of old hat for me. I'm on baby number thirteen, if you can believe it."

"I can, actually," Joel remarked. "You're very pretty."

"Well, not all the children I've had were fathered by my current husband, but even with him, this is baby number eight," Selina said.

"So…how are you feeling?" Joel asked.

"Good," Selina nodded. "Well, as good as can be expected, anyway. Much better than I have with some of my past pregnancies, so I'm hoping this will be an easy one."

"I'll hope the same for you," Joel said. "Now, let's get you hooked up to the ultrasound machine so you'll have even more good news for your husband."

"All right," Selina replied. They did that and Selina got a good first look at her and Elijah's baby, and after the appointment was over, she walked around town for a bit before going home, the ultrasound photos settled securely in her purse.

* * *

When she got home, Elijah met her at the door and gave her a big kiss. "So," he said. "How was the appointment? Was the doctor Amy recommended a good one?"

"Oh, yes!" Selina smiled. "Very much so." She then burst out laughing. "Like you don't know," she said. "But oh, well. You have your secrets and I have mine." She paused. "What do you say you and I play 'Doctor' tonight?"

"Are you really sure we should be engaging in physical behavior this early on?"

"That'll be for you to decide," Selina replied with a wink. "You're the doctor!"

"Have you been drinking?" Elijah asked, "You _know_ you're not supposed to drink when you're pregnant."

"I haven't been drinking, I swear," Selina replied. "But I think it could be fun. Cause I can totally see you as a doctor."

"Fine, we'll play your little game," Elijah replied, still feeling very confused. "But after that, I think you need to rest. I think you overexerted yourself today."

"All right," Selina replied. "I'll be in the bedroom. But don't keep me waiting long!"

* * *

"So _what_ happened to Rebecca?" Laura asked Eli.

"We were out and about (in the same place just by chance) and then this big guy came and kidnapped her, threw her in a car, and drove off with her!" Eli cried. "I tried to catch them, but they sped off before I could figure out where they were going!"

"Well, that's unfortunate," Laura replied. "But I'm sure she'll be found. You don't have to worry."

"Yes, I do!" Eli replied. "Mom, I _love_ her! I can't just let her be dragged off to the unknown and possibly hurt without doing anything about it!"

"Fine," Laura replied. "You can tell Rebecca's mother where she is. Depending on how long ago you saw this happen, I bet she's worried sick!"

"It was around a week ago!" Eli said, grabbing his coat. "I'm going to talk to Rebecca's mom!"

"She's a piece of work," Laura told him. "I don't think you should go by yourself."

"Will you come with me then?" Eli asked. "Cause I'm going, accompanied or not."

Laura gave him a long look, sighed, and then called her grandfather.

"Grandpa, it's Laura," she said. "You know, Elijah's oldest daughter? My son and I have to come talk with Gwen. What's your address?"

Mikael seemed surprised, but he gave it to her and then she and Eli drove off to talk to Gwen, who received them with surprise that was just as obvious as Mikael's.

"What is it that I can do for you?" Gwen asked, looking distracted and sounding a little impatient. "I'm sort of busy at the moment."

"I just wanted to say that I know your daughter is missing," Eli told her. "I saw her get kidnapped."

"Did you?" Gwen asked. "You wouldn't, by chance, know where she was taken, would you? I've tried a locator spell several times, but nothing comes up."

"Wait, you know she's missing?" Eli asked

"I've known for several days," Gwen replied. "Sorry to spoil your heroic moment if that's what you came all the way down here to tell me."

"Oh, it's not a problem," Eli replied. "I'm just glad someone is looking for her. However, I can tell you what the van that took her looked like. Would that be some help?"

"I suppose it could be," Gwen nodded and zapped up a pencil and paper. Then she noticed Laura standing in a corner by the door. "Oh, I'm sorry, dear," she said. "Come and sit down. You don't have to stand in the doorway."

Laura sat down and Eli gave Gwen a description of the vehicle and as much of the license number as he could remember. She sketched what he told her and then showed him the large black van. "Is this it?" She asked.

"Yes," Eli nodded as he gazed at it. "Did I help you any?"

"Yes, actually," Gwen nodded. "I've seen this before. It belongs to my husband's former father-in-law. Now, I just have to figure out where the man is hiding out."

"I'll give you any help you need me to," Eli promised. "All I want to do is find Rebecca."

Gwen was about to tell him that any help from him would be unnecessary, but then she saw the look on his face, the look of someone who was in love. She softened and said, "All right. If I can think of anything, I'll let you know."

"Thank you," Eli told her.

"You're welcome," Gwen nodded, "And thank you for what you've told me. It's not only helped me, but I'm sure my husband will be over the moon when he finds out that I won't be inviting his former father-in-law over for dinner anymore." She paused. "Or maybe I should…just one more time. Just to see if I can get something out of him…" Picture of the van in hand, she ran upstairs to plan for Doctor Vladimir's next visit to her house while, having done all they could do, Laura and Eli headed home.

* * *

"So, what did _you_ do to get stuck here?" Rebecca asked Regina from her cell.

"I fell for the wrong guy," Regina replied. "You're so lucky you get to be in your normal clothes."

Rebecca leaned forward and squinted at Regina's tiny bathing suit. "Well, shit," she said. "What kind of an idiot would dress you like that?"

"Declan," Regina sighed. "I thought I was in love with him…but he betrayed me. How about you?"

"Well, apparently, I'm here by accident," Rebecca replied. "They were looking for my mom, but kidnapped me instead. I don't know why, though."

"I think it has something to do with my grandpa," Regina replied. "I mean, he's the only person or thing that your mom and I have in common."

"I know this is gonna make me sound like a child," Rebecca continued, sitting with her knees to her chest, "but I hope my mom comes to rescue me soon."

"And who knows?" Regina added. "When she gets here, she might just save both of us."

"But what if she only saves _me_?" Rebecca asked. "Regina, what will that mean for you?"

It was at that moment that Declan strode into the cell block and looked between the two cells. "Doctor Vladimir has ordered that the two of you be separated," he snapped. "You're in captivity, not at a slumber party!" He then pulled open Rebecca's cell and ordered two men to take her somewhere else, and when he turned to face Regina, he watched her struggle. "I'm glad she's gone," she said. "Now it's just you and me. How about you remove these restraints and you and I can talk? I'll still be in the cell if you do. You don't have to worry about me running away or anything."

"I can't!" Declan snapped. "I have my orders and you are going to stay right where you are!"

"Why?" Regina asked. "I don't have powers like Rebecca does. I won't disappear if you let me free. In fact, I'll stay and do whatever you want. All you have to do is let me out of my restraints."

For a moment, Declan was torn. Releasing her would be going against the doctor's orders, but as she'd pointed out, even unrestrained, she had no powers and thus would not be able to get far. He unlocked the cell door, went inside, and undid the restraints, watching as she fell to the ground.

"Thank you for letting me go," she said her voice breathy. "Now, what do you say to a reward?"

"Fine," Declan replied. "But don't do anything foolish." He then watched as she undid her skimpy outfit and danced for him. As he got more and more aroused, his actions became hard for him to control. With a grunt, he gave her a shove, which sent her smacking headfirst into one of the cell's stone walls before she crumpled to the floor again As she lay still he then came to stand over her naked body. He was staring at her when she opened her eyes and gave a little whimper. "Are you going to hurt me?" She asked.

"Oh, yes," he said with a smile. "But it will be a pleasant pain." He stroked her hair, then pulled her to her feet before sinking his fangs into her neck and sucking greedily, then leaving her on the floor as he locked her cell door and walked away.


	3. Something A Little Crazy

"What's the matter?" Laura asked Eli as he mashed his cereal into mush. "Still thinking about Rebecca?"

"Yes," Eli grumbled. "And how she was dumb enough to get herself kidnapped. I can't believe I had a crush on someone who is such an idiot! Maybe she'll die in that jail cell and it will serve her right."

"Eli!" Laura scolded. "That's not very nice!"

"I don't give a rat's ass!" Eli cried. "She turned me down! I gave her all the love I had in me and she treated it like trash just because I'm a kid! She can go to hell for all I care." And just for emphasis, he threw his half full cereal bowl on the floor and stomped off leaving his poor mother to clean it up and pray that he wasn't so angry he'd crash on his way to school. However, he calmed down after he sat down in the driver's seat and reached under the seat cushion to look at a picture of Rebecca that he'd drawn, hugging it to himself. However much he hated her in real life, at least he could look at this picture and pretend that _this _was the girl he loved. He then took a deep, calming breath, and drove to school, trying to keep his mind off Rebecca so he wouldn't make the big mistake of running to her rescue before he knew what he was up against and be stopped before he could do her any good. And plus, even if he couldn't save Rebecca now, he'd told her mother, who was no doubt preparing to rescue her in his stead.

* * *

"What do you _mean_ Rebecca was kidnapped, Gwendolyn?" Mikael yelled after hearing the news from his wife, who'd delayed telling him as long as possible before realizing that if she wanted to get Rebecca back, she'd need Mikael's help because he knew Doctor Vladimir a lot better than she did.

"How many other ways are there to explain the meaning of the words 'Rebecca was kidnapped'?" Gwen yelled back. "I should think it would be pretty self-explanatory. Eli saw the car of the man who took her and it looks like one that belongs to Dr. Vladimir."

"Well, _there's_ a big surprise!" Mikael cried, punching his fist into the wall and making a hole. "I _told_ you not to get sucked in to his web of deception, but did you listen to me? _No_! Cause what the hell would I know about my own fucking ex-father-in-law!" Mikael was very red now, and for the first time in their marriage, Gwen was nervous about being around him.

"I'm sorry," she replied. "So I'm guessing you don't want me trying to find the culprit?"

"No, Gwendolyn, I don't!" Mikael replied. "You've caused enough trouble already. For now, can we just leave it be so you don't make things worse? You won't try and find her, and I won't either. She's a big girl and can handle herself."

"Why are you being so awful?" Gwen cried. "I know Rebecca isn't related to you, but can't you show a little bit of heart?"

"I can't waste time with your daughter, Gwendolyn," Mikael said. "Not when, according to Kol, Regina's gone too. He's looked for her forever and hasn't found a single clue. He has to go home to Margot now and tell her the bad news."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Gwen said, approaching him and trying to embrace him, even though he wouldn't let her. "I had no idea."

"Well, now you know," Mikael replied, his tone biting. "It's not going to do us any good to just sit here and moan. We have to come up with a plan!"

"All right," Gwen nodded. "Do you have anything in mind?"

"No," Mikael replied. "I'm still thinking."

"All right," Gwen replied. "I'll try and think too."

"And remember, no plans that involve you running after Doctor Vladimir!" Mikael reminded her.

"Are you sure?" Gwen asked. "I'm perfectly capable of handling myself if I were to get in any danger."

"I know you are," Mikael acknowledged, much to Gwen's surprise. "But what if the reason why they kidnapped Rebecca has something to do with you? What if she's just bait? I'm sorry, Gwendolyn. I can't allow you to take such a terrible risk. And besides, if you don't show up, he'll realize Rebecca is useless to him and let her go. Not only will she be free, but no one else will get hurt in the process."

"How sure are you that that's how things will play out?" Gwen asked.

"I can't be a hundred percent positive, can I?" Mikael asked. "But it sounds reasonable enough. So let's just stay put and hope for the best, all right?"

"Fine," Gwen replied. "But if anything happens to Rebecca because I listened to you and did nothing, it's on your head."

* * *

But she needn't have worried. Mikael had been correct when he'd thought that Gwen not showing up to rescue Rebecca would soon render her useless to the enemy, and soon, Demetri decided to let her go. But before he sent her on her way, he had a spell put on her that wiped her memories and made her wicked (as well as giving her a good whack or two in the head for good measure), as punishment for her mother's cowardice. But he didn't tell Regina that. All he told her later in the day was that Rebecca had been released.

"Thanks for helping my friend," she told Demetri. "Even if I have to stay here, it's good she got out."

"Don't think I did it out of the goodness of my heart," Demetri said. "She wasn't supposed to be here anyway. I was just getting rid of her so we'd have space for her mother when we get around to catching her."

"Well, okay," Regina replied, wondering if Rebecca was truly all right, and praying that nothing too bad had happened to her.

* * *

She didn't have much to worry about. Demetri had dropped Rebecca off at the same bar he'd taken her from, and as luck would have it, Eli found her again.

"Well, look who it is," He remarked, looking at her sprawled on the ground. "Had a little too much to drink again, Rebecca?"

"Go to hell!" Rebecca cried. Then Eli noticed a giant wound on her head from what had been done to make her lose her memory.

"What happened to your head?" He asked, feeling sympathetic against his will. "Did you fall in a drunken stupor and bang it on something hard?"

"Go away you fucking son of a bitch!" Rebecca cried. "I can take care of myself!"

"Fine," Eli replied. Then he changed his mind, pulled her to her feet and took her with him who knew where, trying to ignore all the people who tried to stop them cause Rebecca kept screaming that he was going to assault her somehow.

Finally, they got far enough away, and Eli called his mother to tell her that something had come up and he'd be coming home briefly to get some things, but it wouldn't be permanent.

"What do you _mean_?" Laura wanted to know. "Where are you going? Have you lost your mind?"

"I found Rebecca," he said quietly. "And I need to take her somewhere safe. Something was done to her wherever she was and I don't think she should be left alone."

"So take her to her mother," Laura replied. "I don't mean to sound unsympathetic, but as much as you love her, you're only sixteen and Rebecca is _not_ your responsibility."

"What about when Dad turned?" Eli asked. "Didn't Grandpa try and warn you away from him? Don't expect me to listen to you about Rebecca if you didn't listen to Grandpa about Dad."

Laura opened her mouth to protest and then shut it when she realized that Eli had a point. "Well, fuck it," she whispered to herself.

"So you agree that I'm right?" Eli said.

"Yes," Laura sighed. "I don't wanna be, but you have a point. However, if you do whatever you have to do to help Rebecca, what about your education? I'm not just letting you throw school away because of a woman."

"Give me a car, so even when Rebecca and I go where we're supposed to go, I can still get to school."

"Fine," Laura sighed. "Take mine. It's more dependable then the one you're driving now."

Eli drove himself and Rebecca to his house where he left her in Edward's car while he went and packed some things before coming back to say goodbye to Laura.

"I have to go," he said. "I left Rebecca in the car, and in the state she's in right now, I have to watch her every second."

"You have your phone?" Laura wanted to know. "So you can at least call me every once in a while and tell me you're alive? And just how are you gonna find a place to live?"

"I have a plan!" Eli replied. "I promise. And I have a place in mind, I swear. It's got a roof and a door and all that stuff, I promise. And it's out of the way, so Rebecca can't hurt anyone."

"All right," Laura replied and came to hug him. "I may be insane or a terrible parent, (and by may be, I mean 'probably'), but it seems I can't talk you out of this, so what I'm gonna say is, good luck, take care of yourself, go to school, and let me know every once in a while that you're still alive, okay?"

"I will," Eli assured her with a nod. "I promise." He then left and ran like hell to the car, hoping and praying that Rebecca was still secure in the front passenger's seat. To his relief, she was, and when he climbed in beside her, she gave him a dirty look. "What kept you?" She asked.

"I just had to get some things," he said. "And now we can go."

"Go where?" Rebecca snapped. "I'm not going anywhere with you! I don't even know who you are!"

"My name is Eli," Eli replied patiently as they drove down the street. "And I am going to save your life."

* * *

When they reached the house in the woods, Rebecca initially refused to get out of the car. "If you're gonna save my life, can't you do it in a house that's nicer?" She asked from the front seat.

"No," Eli replied. "We need to be secluded. Now get out of the fucking car!"

"And what if I don't want to?" Rebecca snapped. "Who's gonna make me? You? You're just a kid!"

She soon ate her words when Eli opened the door and pulled her out in a way that made her land hard on the grass.

"You idiot!" Rebecca gave him a dirty look as she got up and wiped leaves and dirt off her clothes. "Didn't you notice my giant head wound? You could have hurt me worse!"

"Well, then you should have gotten out of the car when I asked you to!" Eli shot back. "Now get up and march your butt inside!"

When Rebecca refused to move, Eli put his bag over his shoulder and (to Rebecca's surprise) picked her up and carried her inside, dumping her on the bed and cuffing each of her hands to a bedstead and then tying them again with some bits of fabric he'd found.

"You're just gonna leave me like this?" Rebecca cried. "What if I have to go to the bathroom? How will I eat?"

"I'm not gonna starve you or anything," Eli replied. Whenever you need something, just tell me and I'll get it arranged. But I can't just let you wander off. It's not gonna help you."

"Help me do what?" Rebecca asked.

"Remember your _life_," Eli replied. "I mean, you don't know who I am. Who knows what else you don't know? I mean, what's your mother's name?"

"I have no idea," Rebecca shook her head.

"Okay," Eli nodded. "Where were you before I found you at the bar?"

"I don't know!" Rebecca said again. "I was probably _in_ the bar and had too much to drink, wouldn't you say?"

"I don't know," Eli replied. "But that is just what we're here for: to help you find out."

She then gave one last pull on the handcuffs, and while they didn't budge (thanks to some prior planning, he'd been able to get ones that were very sturdy and difficult to break, plus he'd covered them in witch hazel as an added precaution), appliances in the one room cabin began moving around simultaneously.

"What's going on?" Rebecca asked. She looked frightened but was trying to hide it. "Is there a ghost here?"

"No, that's all you," Eli said. "You're a witch and you're angry, so your powers are acting up. Nothing to worry about."

Rebecca just looked at him, wide eyed. "Excuse me, what?" She asked, as her body finally went still.

"You're a witch," Eli repeated, relieved that she seemed to be calming down. "I know that may be a bit shocking, but I'll help you adjust to the idea. I promise."

* * *

"This may be a little strange," Joel told Selina at the end of their latest appointment. "But I think I'm gonna need to write you a prescription."

"You are?" Selina asked, feeling a bit nervous. "What sort of prescription? Is something wrong with the baby? Cause I feel fine. Just really tired."

"You're gonna laugh at this, but…the iron is low in your body," Joel told her. "Your iron level and your level of folic acid. Do you have vegetables and things like that around your house? That's the best way to raise those levels so you don't get any type of anemia. This sounds weird to me even as I say it, cause I know vampires don't get ill, but you can never be too careful."

"Actually, since food doesn't do us good, I don't keep vegetables around," Selina replied apologetically. "Just the stuff I need for baking."

"I can give you a supplement if that would be easier for you," Joel told her. "But it might take me a little while to get."

"Well, thanks," Selina replied. "It's good to know everything is okay otherwise."

"That's what it looks like," Joel nodded. "And just so you don't have to go through a lot of extra nonsense, I'll even bring it to your house if you like."

"Would you?" Selina asked, eyebrow raised. "Do you need my address?"

"No, I can get it. Don't worry. I should be able to drop it off tomorrow."

"Good," Selina nodded. "Thank you."

* * *

The next day, Selina waited eagerly for Joel to arrive with her medicine. This was when she would know for sure that it was just an alias Elijah was using while he moonlighted as a doctor, which is what she'd suspected all along.

As was the usual routine, Elijah had gone straight to his office after breakfast, and Selina didn't see him for hours, not even for sex. When she heard the knock on the door and Joel calling her name, she went and opened the door, inviting him in. He was wearing jeans and plaid today instead of his medical scrubs.

"I like the look," she commented as he handed her the medicine. "I bet your wife does too."

"Oh, I'm not married," Joel replied with a smile. "I'm usually too busy saving lives to find someone.

Selina put her hands on her hips, her jaw dropping a little. "What do you _mean_ you're not married?" She cried, pulling up Joel's hand. "And what in the hell did you do with your ring?"

"I never had one," Joel replied, stepping away and looking a bit frightened. "Are you okay?"

"You're my husband!" Selina cried, feeling angrier by the second. "Just admit it, all right? You can't trick me anymore. I mean, it's a fun little thing when it's just you and me, but when you're using this persona to pick up other women, that's where I draw the line!"

She pushed him against the wall and was about to unleash her anger when she heard a voice. "Selina? Darling? Who was at the door?" She paused as she saw Elijah coming into her sight. "Oh, my god, it's you!" She cried and ran over to him after letting a very relieved Joel go. "You're here!"

"Of course I'm here," Elijah replied as she hugged him. "I _told_ you I was going to be in my office. Just where did you think I went?"

It was then that Joel turned and he and Elijah got a good look at each other. "Oh, my god," Joel replied.

"This is my husband, Elijah," Selina told him. "And Elijah, this is Joel…he's the one who's been taking care of me at the hospital." She gave Joel a sheepish look. "I guess apologies are in order for my little outburst. I'm sorry."

"It's all right," Joel replied as he made his way to the door. "I know your hormones are raging right now. You didn't hurt me. And remember to take that supplement!"

"I won't!" Selina called. "Thank you, doctor!"

She shut the door and Elijah said, "I don't know how I feel about you having a doctor who looks so much like me. Does he get…intimate with you during your appointments?"

"Well, he sort of has to if I'm gonna be looked at properly," Selina replied. "But it's purely professional and you have nothing to worry about." She kissed him and tousled his hair. "All right?"

"Yes, all right," Elijah nodded. He took her in his arms for a long hug and then, after helping her settle down for a nap, went back to his office.


	4. Reluctant Roommates

The place where Eli taken Rebecca was just a one room cabin, and since she'd been given the bed, that meant that he had to sleep either on the floor or in a chair, but he didn't mind. He slept well enough and he needed it. Cause despite being restrained, Rebecca could still be a sneaky customer. He found out soon enough that she had just enough hand movement to do a little magic, an idea that had shocked her at first, but once she realized that she could do things like make his food disappear just before he was about to eat it, that's what she did, followed by loud, grating laughter that made his head hurt.

"Would you stop?" He cried after his cereal vanished. "I was gonna eat that!"

"And if you would feed me first, we wouldn't have this problem, but that's a lesson you just can't seem to learn," Rebecca replied. "Now let me out of these restraints!"

"No," Eli shook his head. "I don't care how much food I lose. You're not going free."

"What if I said I had to go to the bathroom?" Rebecca asked.

"I don't know…" Eli replied. "Do you really need to go?"

"Do you really wanna risk the consequences of what happens if I do and you don't let me out?" Rebecca asked.

Eli groaned, and even though he had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, let her go, whereupon she promptly knocked him to the ground and took off. She got a distance from the house before Eli got his bearings and got to his feet, speeding after her, tackling her, and pinning her to the grass while looking down into her deep blue eyes. She stared back at him for a moment and then he said, "You're gonna come back into the house now. You have no choice."

"Oh, I think I do," she replied and pushed him off her, moving so that she was on top of him. "You can't do anything to me." She leaned down so that her breath brushed his lips. "I can do whatever the hell I want!"

"All right," Eli replied. "I guess you're right." Then, he leaned up, pulled her down to him and kissed her. She was caught off guard long enough to allow him to escape. Then, while she spat all over the ground, he grabbed her hand and dragged her back into the house, sitting her down in a chair. "All right," he said. "It's clear that no amount of restraint will be able to work on you, so we'll forget that."

"Good," Rebecca smirked. "You're not as stupid as you look."

"But I'm still keeping you here until you're fixed," Eli finished. "Don't think you're getting off so easy. I have to do one more thing before we go to the next stage of this venture."

"Oh?" Rebecca asked. "And what's that?"

"You'll see in a minute," Ethan replied, then set to digging around for any pots or pans, particularly one that was large and heavy. He found one, dragged it out of the cupboard, came up behind her, and hit her over the head with it, and she immediately fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Sorry about that," Eli whispered to her as he picked her up and tucked her in bed. "But I had to do it, you know? I couldn't think of any other way to keep you still." He then rooted around in her coat for her phone to call her mother.

"What?" Gwen barked into the phone a few seconds later.

"Mrs. Hamilton?" Ethan said nervously. "It's Eli Mikaelson. If you're looking for Rebecca, I know where she is."

"You do?" Gwen's voice changed, sounding very relieved. "Of all people, I figured it would be someone from Mikael's family who would find her. Where is she?"

"I found her just outside a bar on Wingate street. At present, she has no idea who I am, or even what happened to her before I found her, which must have been during the time she was with the guys in the van. Oh, and she's really bad tempered now too."

"My daughter?" Gwen said, sounding surprised. "You have got to be joking. How about you bring her to me and we'll get her all fixed up?"

"I don't think it's a good idea to take her where she could hurt people," Eli said. "I have her in a cabin in the middle of nowhere for a reason. No offense or anything."

"I know you're trying to do Rebecca a favor, Eli, and I appreciate it," Gwen told him, trying to be patient. "But I'm her mother and I think that makes me the one who knows best."

Eli paused. In all honesty, he had no way of responding to what Gwen was saying cause he hadn't expected her to resist him. He'd just thought that she'd give him her blessing and let him go on his merry way, which obviously was not the case.

But luckily, just as he was about to answer, Rebecca stirred. "Just a second," he said. He left Gwen on hold and went to Rebecca's bedside as her eyes opened. "Eli?" She said. "What did you hit me for? What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you a complete idiot?"

"I just thought that would be the best way to help you get your memory back," Eli replied. "Now, if you want me to give you some blood so you can heal, I will."

"No, let me," Rebecca said, making a knife appear, grabbing his arm, and then cutting it as if she were fileting a fish. Then she put the wound up to her lips and drank, letting it go after awhile and licking the excess blood from her lips. "I needed that," she said.

"Well you could have at least said _please_," Ethan shot back, clutching his arm and feeling taken advantage of. "It's my arm and my blood, not yours."

"Oh, you are such a crybaby," Rebecca said. "Why offer me your arm if you're gonna throw a fit when I take your blood?"

"I'm not throwing a fit," Eli replied. "I'm just wanting you to ask before you take advantage of my bodily fluids, okay? That's _not_ an unreasonable request."

Before Eli could respond, they heard a very irritable voice yelling at them from Rebecca's phone.

"Shit," Rebecca grumbled and got out of bed. "That's my mother. Why did you call my mother?"

"I just wanted her to know that you were safe," Eli replied. "You've been gone for so long that she was worried sick!"

"Well, that's just one of the privileges of being an adult," Rebecca replied as she picked up the phone. "Being gone for long periods of time and not giving a crap about telling anyone where you are." She then put the phone to her ear. "What is it you want, Mother?" She asked, her voice full of impatience. "I'm kind of busy at the moment." Then she frowned. "No, I do _not_ want to come home so you and Mikael can take care of me. I'm an adult. I can take care of myself. No, I do _not_ want to call you occasionally and tell you I'm okay. But I bet Eli would be more than willing to do that for me." She listened for a little while longer and then, with roll of her eyes and a sigh of impatience, ended the call.

"Okay, rule number one now that you and I are living together," she said as she turned to Eli. "And this is very important. If you forget this rule, I will bash you over the head with that frying pan like you did with me. You do not, _do not_, under _any_ circumstances, call my mother. I don't care if you think she needs to know what I'm up to. It's none of your damn business, all right? I've been under her thumb my entire life and now that I have a chance to be free, I'd like to be able to enjoy it. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Eli sighed. "I guess I do."

"Good," Rebecca nodded. "It's good we got that sorted out." She then looked around the little cabin in disgust. "Why did you have to pick such a disgusting little place for us to hide out?"

"I think it's quaint," Eli replied. "And kind of lovely."

"Well, that just shows what little taste you have," Rebecca said dismissively. "Since you're the one who wanted to live here, you're the one who has to keep it clean."

"No way!" Eli replied. "That's not fair!"

"Nothing in the world is fair, but we have to deal with it somehow," Rebecca told him.

"Fine if I do the cleaning, I get the bed," Eli told her.

"Oh no you do not," Rebecca replied. "I'm the girl, so _I_ should get the bed. Didn't anyone in your family teach you about being a gentleman?"

"Not when the woman expecting the gentlemanly behavior is a complete bitch," Eli replied. "In that case, it's every person for themselves." He then went over and shoved Rebecca off the bed, taking her spot, tucking himself in, and looking smug. "This is very comfy," he said. "I think I'll like sleeping here."

"Over my dead body you will!" Rebecca replied.

"Look," Eli said finally. "Why don't we just share the bed? It's big enough for both of us and that way, none of us will have to sleep on the floor."

"Oh, you would just _love _that, wouldn't you?" Rebecca replied. "You're a teenage boy who's been after me for a bit and you think I'm gonna trust you?"

"Fine, it was just a suggestion," Eli replied. "Sleep on the floor. I don't care!"

It was then that Rebecca lapsed into silence and Eli had thought he'd won, but that night, after he tucked himself into bed, Rebecca zapped all his blankets off him and onto herself, leaving him shivering in his boxers and no shirt when he woke up in the morning. As he got off the bed and stormed around the cabin to find something to put on, Rebecca realized how attractive he was, and then invited him to come share the blanket with her as they huddled together to conserve body warmth.

"You're lucky you're cute," she whispered. "Otherwise I wouldn't be this nice."

"You're lucky I'm cold," Eli shot back. "Otherwise I wouldn't have accepted your generosity at all."

"You know, maybe I was a bit hasty about us not sharing a bed," Rebecca told him, whispering against his ear. "Maybe we should."

Eli smirked. "Well, well, well…look who's changing her tune now that she's seen me in my underwear. How long til you grant me the same privilege?"

"Oh, don't be fresh," Rebecca replied. "You'll see them when you earn it."

"I can wait," Eli nodded. "Just remember that while you're recovering, I'll have to keep a close eye on you at all times."

"Fine," Rebecca sighed. "But really, you're as bad as my mother."

"No, I'm not," Eli replied, and then pulled her to him to give her a kiss. "I promise."


	5. The New Job

"What _took_ you so long?" Rebecca demanded as Eli strode back into the cabin after a trip into the city to get groceries. "Didn't it register with you how hungry I was before you left?"

"Oh, it did," Eli replied. "But if you were so hungry, you should have zapped food up yourself instead of making me go all the way into the city to get it. If I'm the one that has to do all the work, you can't nitpick!" He looked around with great sadness at the cabin, which Rebecca had modified and expanded over a space of four months' time. "I don't know why you ruined this house by making it all fancy and big. It was nice the way it was!"

Rebecca scoffed. "Maybe to you, but not to me."

"No kidding," Eli replied. "I forgot what a complete baby you are. Can't even spend a few months in the wilderness without worrying that you're gonna break a nail!"

"You keep mocking me and you'll have to start killing all the bugs that get in here yourself, pal!" Rebecca cried. "I'll call you to come look the next time a spider shows up and _then_ we'll see who's the baby!"

The thought of having to deal with the bugs made Eli pause. "Sorry," he said. "You're right."

"Of course I am," Rebecca replied. "And it's about time you admitted it."

Eli just rolled his eyes and tried to ignore her. That was what he'd learned over the last few months: ignore her attitude and be the bigger person and that will make her easier to live with.

They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes and then Eli stood up. "I'm gonna go out again," he said.

"What for?" Rebecca asked. "You just got back?"

Eli smiled at this. "Could it be that there's a small part of you that actually likes having me around?"

"Yes," Rebecca admitted with a sigh as she began rooting around in the grocery bags he'd brought home with him. "But it's a _very_ small part."

Eli then headed to the door, but paused with his hand on the knob before turning back to her. "Since I'm just going for a drive, you wanna come with me? I can wait until after you eat."

"Well, all right I guess," Rebecca sighed. "You know, if you would just make me a sandwich, things would go a lot quicker."

"Make your own sandwich," Eli replied. "Why is it that you always want_ me_ to do everything when you have magic?"

"Cause it's cute watching you work," Rebecca replied.

'Cute'?" Eli asked, raising an eyebrow. That's an interesting description." He then sat down in front of the TV and waited for Rebecca to make herself something to eat, which she did very grudgingly when she realized that Eli wouldn't cave to her demands.

"All right, are you finished?" He asked after a little while as she stared at him resentfully

"Yes," she replied. "I am." He waited until she put her dishes in the sink and then they both headed out to Eli's car (which was one that Rebecca had zapped up for him cause she thought Laura's was too old-looking), got inside, and began driving around the woods.

"So, you can honestly look me in the eye and tell me that you're happy just living in the woods like we are?" Rebecca said to Eli.

"Yeah," Eli nodded. "I think it's peaceful. But, if you want, I suppose that since you're more stable now, we can move somewhere else."

"Oh, _god_ no!" Rebecca shook her head. "If we move somewhere else, it could make it easier for my mother to visit and I don't want that!"

"What is it that you have against your mother?" Eli asked. "She doesn't _seem_ like a horrible person."

"If you think that, then you've clearly never met my mother," Rebecca replied.

"I have, and I still don't think she's as bad as you're making her out to be. Would you at least _call_ her and tell her you're okay?" Eli requested. "It doesn't have to be a long conversation like the ones I have with my mom."

"Are you going to keep nagging me if I don't call?" Rebecca asked.

"Yes," Eli nodded. "I am. Cause I think it's very important."

"Fine," Rebecca replied. "Whatever."

"And just to make sure you actually do it," Eli continued, "here is my phone."

"You don't have to look at me," Rebecca replied. "I promise I'll call my mother."

"Well, you'll have to excuse me if I don't trust you," Eli replied. "So just get it over with and then you can go back to staring out the window or whatever."

Rebecca sighed and, muttering swear words under her breath, called Gwen. "Mom?" She said. "It's Rebecca, obviously. Just wanted to let you know that I was all right. Okay, goodbye!"

"Now wait just a minute!" Gwen cried from the other end of the line. "You can't just call out of the blue after I don't hear from you for four months, say only a few words, and then end the conversation. How have you been?"

"Good," Rebecca replied. "I fixed up the cabin Eli dragged me to, so at least it's liveable now."

"Wonderful," Gwen replied. "And just so you know, in your absence, Robbie has taken possession of your house and has brought a gaggle of young ladies with him.

"Oh, good god!" Rebecca cried. "That little son of a…." She zapped herself out of the car, and then Eli quickly drove back to the house to see what was the matter. He went inside and called her name, but got no response. Finally, he shrugged and headed into the nearest bathroom (which also had a shower in it) and gasped as Rebecca stepped out, naked and soaking wet. Despite the urgency of her situation, she couldn't help but be amused by Ethan's staring. "See anything you like?" She asked with a smirk.

"Yeah," Eli nodded. "I think I do."

"Good," Rebecca replied. "You mind handing me a towel?"

"S-sure," Eli replied and held it out briefly before accidentally dropping it on the floor. He and Rebecca then both reached down to grab it and bumped heads.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Eli apologized. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Rebecca replied. "Now get out, would you, so I can have my privacy?"

"Oh, right," Eli replied. But before leaving, he said, "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, I just gotta put some sense into my kid," Rebecca replied. "But don't worry. I'll come back. You won't have to sleep alone tonight."

"Good," Eli nodded. "I'll be waiting for you."

"I should hope so," Rebecca replied, then dried herself off as Eli closed the door and later watched Rebecca leave, wondering whether he should take advantage of her absence to do some work on the house, or just leave it be.

* * *

As much as Elijah resented Selina seeing Doctor Joel to get her iron and folic acid supplements, he had to admit that they _did_ work. She'd managed to make it through dinner at Ethan and Jeffrey's (_and_ a marathon pool tournament, which she'd won) without feeling tired or sick.

"Can I just say how impressed I am by how well you handled yourself last night?" Elijah praised.

"Sure," Selina nodded. "You've said it several times, but I don't mind hearing it again. What surprises me is that I could still reach the pool table." She then smiled down at her pregnant belly. She and Elijah had recently discovered that they were having a little girl who was very active. "Oh, dear lord!" Selina cried, nearly keeling over from a particularly strong kick while Elijah tried to hold her up. "I think we're gonna have quite a kid on our hands."

"I know," Elijah replied. "I'm preparing myself mentally already!"

"And remember, you promised to try and bond with her this time, no matter how difficult she might be," Selina reminded him.

"I remember," Elijah replied. "Don't worry. Do you want to sit down? It would make me less anxious if you did."

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "That might be a good idea." He helped her to a chair and just as he got her seated, the doorbell rang. "Don't bother getting up," Elijah told Selina. "I'll get the door.

"All right," Selina replied. "You won't hear me complaining." He opened the door to find himself face to face with Astrid and Viktor.

"Hello, Astrid," he greeted her. "And Astrid's friend."

"He's my father, actually," Astrid replied, after which Viktor introduced himself. "May we come in? We have a proposition for you."

"A proposition?" Elijah replied. "What sort of proposition?"

"Well, my father and I were talking and we thought it would be a good idea to set up a school for children who are the products of supernatural marriages, especially marriages of witches and warlocks with people from other species," Astrid said. "None of the schools we have now are set up for such a thing and we don't want our children going uneducated cause the system won't allow them to learn."

"That's a very noble goal," Elijah said with approval. "What's it got to do with me?"

"Well, you've been around a long time, and you've seen a lot, so…what would you say to teaching history?" Astrid wanted to know.

"That would be such a great opportunity for him!" Selina cried. "Elijah, I think you should take the job."

"But what about my companies?" Elijah asked. "Who will troubleshoot and take messages?"

"How about I do it?" Selina asked. "I mean, I'm gonna be here all day with the baby anyway. It would be nice to have something to do."

"Can I trust you to be mature and professional?" Elijah asked. "I have a reputation in the business world, you know."

"Yes, you can trust me," Selina swore to him. "I won't misbehave. I promise. Now tell Astrid you're gonna take the job!"

"Please do," Viktor said as Selina let out a groan. "It would really help us out." Then he looked at Selina. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, fine," Selina nodded with a wince. "I'm just pregnant with a very active baby. Your voice must've stirred her up or something."

"Well, I'll try and be silent in the future," Viktor replied with a smile as the baby let out another kick.

"You know what?" Selina said as Elijah helped her stand up. "I think I'm gonna go lie down now."

"That might be a good idea," Elijah replied.

"But first you have to tell Astrid that you accept the job," Selina told him. "Please?"

"All right," Elijah told Astrid and Viktor as he shook their hands. "I'll take the job."

"Good," Astrid nodded. "We'll call you when we get more details hammered out."

"Wonderful," Elijah replied as he followed them to the door. "I'll be waiting by the phone." He then turned to Selina. "Well, that was interesting."

"Don't tell me you regret taking the job already," Selina replied as they headed to the bedroom."

"I don't regret it," Elijah replied. "But I've never taught before! What if I do it wrong?"

"You've been either a father or an uncle to so many kids that I think you've basically done an equivalent to teaching," Selina replied. "You'll be fine, I promise. Just trust your instincts. And you can talk to Helene too. She teaches. And Lucy. By the time they open the school, you'll be totally prepared."

"I don't know," Elijah replied doubtfully as she climbed into bed. "But I'll be giving it shot anyway."

"Good job," Selina said as he rubbed her back. "I'm proud of you."

"Well, thank you," Elijah replied, feeling some of his nervousness dissipate. "That-that really helps a lot."


	6. Throwing Caution To The Wind

"I can't believe you're pregnant again," Selina's father said, looking a bit stunned when she came to visit him. "I mean, I remember when I came to meet everyone at your house and it was _so_ full of people already!"

"I know," Selina replied. "I have a big family, what can I say?"

"Yeah," Matthew nodded. "With the childhood you had, I understand why you want all these kids around you."

"It wasn't all bad," Selina replied. "There were good moments when I just decided to ignore Mama and do my own thing." She scoffed. "If she were here, she'd be over the moon now."

"Yeah, because you're happy," Matthew replied. "Now, did you say you know what sort of child you're having?"

"Uh-huh, a little girl," Selina nodded.

"Well, isn't that the darndest thing?" Matthew said in amazement. "It's just marvelous the sort of things they can do today."

"I know, isn't it?" Selina replied. "I was just as surprised as you are the first time around. I mean, I knew the technology was there, of course, but when you actually get to use it, it's still hard to believe."

"This is going to sound like the dumbest question in the world since you've had so many children and here you still sit before me, but indulge your father," Matthew told her. "The birth…everything is going to be all right, isn't it? I won't have to worry about losing you just when we've started to patch things up again?" He looked at her with such worry that Selina reached out and hugged him.

"You won't have to worry," Selina nodded. "Things are a lot safer and more sanitary than they used to be. Plus, I'm tough." She smiled.

"Not that I doubt you, so don't take this the wrong way…but do you think your husband would mind if I came to be with you during your labor?" Matthew asked. "Alongside him, of course. Or would that be too intrusive?"

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind at all, given the circumstances," Selina replied. "I'll talk to him about it, but I'm very sure you'll be allowed in. In fact, I think I'd like that."

"Good," Matthew nodded. "When the two of you reach a decision about it, just let me know and I'll do whatever you decide."

"All right," Selina nodded and gave him another hug. "We'll let you know, I promise."

* * *

Elijah's new job was still weighing on him and he'd already talked Selina's ear off with his worries, so he found a new person to talk to: Laura, who was perfectly happy for the distraction.

"You got offered a _job_?" She asked in amazement. "Good for you! But…have you ever actually worked before? Or have you just managed other people?"

"I work," Elijah replied, feeling offended. "I came to you for support, not doubt."

"Oh, I know," Laura replied. "Sorry. I'm just a bit distracted by this whole 'Eli running off to the woods' thing. Edward wasn't too happy with me when he found out what I did. But I'd rather have Eli go with my permission and promise not to hurt himself then leave in rebellion and possibly get hurt or die. I know it's probably on par with Mom telling Gregory that he could turn into a werewolf, but I didn't know what else to do."

"I'm sure Eli will manage himself," Elijah comforted her. "I wouldn't worry about it."

"Yeah," Laura nodded. "I'll try not to. And don't you worry about being a teacher either. You'll do great."

"That's what your mother says," Elijah replied.

"I think you should believe it then," Laura smiled. "Cause she's right!"

"All right, I'll try and do that," Elijah assured her. "I mean, I really don't think she's _wrong_, but this is just an entirely new thing for me." He paused. "Now _what_ is it that you were saying about Eli running off to live in the woods?"

Laura sighed. "He likes Gwen's daughter Rebecca, and she was kidnapped and had something happen to her that made her evil, so Eli thought the best way to fix her would be for them to run off to the woods together. It was the kind of decision where he'd pretty much made up his mind to do it, so I figured the best thing to do would be to give him my blessing and ask him to call once in awhile to let me know that he was all right. It was probably a bad decision on my part, but I didn't know what else to do."

"Well, has he called you?" Elijah asked. "Does he seem all right?"

"Of course," Laura nodded. "But that isn't enough for Edward. We've had fights about this. What made you stop your fight with Mom after she let Gregory become a werewolf?"

"I don't really remember," Elijah replied. "But it was probably us eventually realizing that we loved each other enough that holding onto resentment didn't make us feel better at all."

"All right," Laura nodded. "I'll try to remind Edward of that. I know I did the right thing. I know it. I wouldn't have done anything that I _knew_ would put Eli in harm's way."

"And like you said, he would have gone anyway, with your consent or without it," Elijah said, reaching out to take her in his arms as she started to cry. "I'm sure your instincts are right and that Eli will be fine."

"Thank you, Daddy," Laura replied, sitting up and wiping her eyes. "I needed that."

"It's no problem," Elijah said. "I don't mind at all."

* * *

Eli put his book down as he realized he was hearing shouting coming from outside. He left the cabin and found Rebecca in the front yard in a physical altercation with a man he'd never seen before who was slightly overweight and balding, wearing a baseball cap and a shirt with a Yankees logo on it.

"I don't care if this is your house!" Rebecca was yelling. "You weren't living in it when we got here, so scram!"

"You're just asking to get your ass kicked or worse, girly," the man told her. "And I think I'm ready to do it!" He raised his fist and Rebecca prepared for the impact, but Eli got in the way and stopped the blow. "I think you should leave now," he said.

"I think _you_ should, boy," the man replied. "And take that uppity bitch with you!"

"Are you gonna let him talk to me like that?" Rebecca cried.

"I most certainly am not," Eli replied and rolled up his sleeves. The man grabbed a switchblade out of his pocket, and instead of going after Eli, he grabbed Rebecca and held the knife to her throat. "I don't fight little boys," he said. "But I have no problem with smart-mouth bitches." He then cut her throat, and although Eli could tell that the wound wasn't fatal, he got angry, wrestling the knife away from the man before stabbing him in the jugular and drinking enthusiastically.

"I hope you're happy," he told Rebecca after as he sat up with blood dripping down his chin and onto his t-shirt. "Cause since I killed for you, I'm gonna be a werewolf at the next full moon._"_

"What do you _mean_ you're gonna be a werewolf at the next full moon?" Rebecca asked.

"I don't know much more simply I can put it," Eli replied. "Both my parents have a werewolf gene, which was passed on to me when I was born. Killing someone activates it, and then the next full moon after the kill, the person becomes a mad, violent, drooling wolf until the moon goes down. Do you understand now?"

"Yes, I understand," Rebecca nodded impatiently. "I'm not stupid. Does this mean I'm in some sort of danger? Are you going to eat me?"

"Not if you stay out of the way," Eli replied. "And you're welcome for ruining my own life to save yours."

"You're so self-centered," Rebecca replied. "You're all, 'look at me, I'm gonna be a werewolf. Boo-hoo-hoo'. It can't be as bad as you say."

"Well, you'll find out soon enough how wrong you are, won't you?" Eli asked. "I'm gonna try not to hurt you, but I can't make any guarantees. It takes a few cycles of changing and changing back before a werewolf has the option of being able to be in their right mind while transformed."

"So you're telling me that for my own protection, I should stay away from you because poor little me is too fragile to face a wolf?" Rebecca asked, hands on hips. "It's that what you're saying? I don't need you to protect me."

"I'm not telling you this cause I think you're fragile," Eli replied, trying to be patient. "I'm telling you this because I don't want to see you get hurt. But if you want to be stupid and get in my way, be my guest."

"I will," Rebecca nodded. "You don't have to worry about me."

* * *

Despite the fact that he knew Rebecca was right about how strong she was, and how it was highly unlikely she'd be in any real danger from him when he was transformed, the night of the next full moon, he urged her to stay inside anyway, and not come out until he said so.

"Oh, all right," Rebecca sighed and twirled her hair. "If it's _so_ important to you, I suppose I could stay inside."

"Thank you for being sensible about this," Eli replied. "I appreciate it."

He then went outside in the night and Rebecca watched his transformation out the window from the safety of the living room, feeling inklings of sympathy for the boy as he screamed and yelled in pain. But when he was finally a full wolf, she had to admit he was beautiful, and she couldn't ignore a nagging urge to go out and join him, even though she knew it would make him upset. She opened the door, transformed herself into a wolf too, and then went outside, bumping his side with her snout. Instead of greeting her gently, werewolf Eli let out a growl and attacked, snapping at her and chasing her around. She distracted him so much that he couldn't even react to the usual werewolf bloodlust and so any helpless humans that would have been his prey were spared that night.

Just before transformation back to their human forms, they began engaging in sex as wolves, something that didn't change when they got back to normal. Eli panted as he found himself staring at Rebecca's bare back, gently running his fingers up and down it. He paused and backed out of her before flipping her on her back so their shocked eyes met.

"Oh, my god," Rebecca whispered before pulling him down to her and kissing him as he buried himself deep inside her without hesitation, her cries being lost in her throat.

"You know," she said when he pulled away and began kissing down her neck. "You're not such an annoying little boy after all."

Eli chuckled at this. "How sweet of you to say. So as long as I walk around the house naked to remind you what you like about me, you'll respect me and not be a pain in the ass?"

"You can do whatever you want," Rebecca replied. "If you want to walk around the house naked all the time, I'm not gonna stop you."

Eli then brought her head down to kiss her again. "Thank you," he said.

"For what?" Rebecca asked.

"For completely ignoring everything I told you and coming out here to join me. It made things a lot less scary. You really helped me."

"Good," Rebecca nodded. "Now that all this nonsense is over for the night, can we please go inside and continue this in our nice warm bed? I don't want to be out here anymore now that I've returned to my senses."

"Oh, all right," Eli replied, getting up. "Let's go." He walked into the house and Rebecca followed him eagerly. "You don't have to tell me twice," she said. "With that ass, I'd follow you anywhere!"

Eli smiled. "Good for me to know," he said. "I might as well burn all my clothes."

"Oh, don't do that," Rebecca replied. "Don't deprive me of the fun of taking them off of you."

"All right," Eli replied and kissed her. "The clothes will stay."

"Not for too long," Rebecca said as he pushed her against the mattress. "I promise you that."


	7. Oh Mandy

"Is she gonna be all right?" Matthew asked Elijah nervously as he watched his eight months pregnant daughter waddle around the house, complaining about how everything hurt in between trips to the bathroom. "Are her pregnancies usually like this? I don't remember being this tense when her mother and I were expecting her."

"Oh, she'll be fine!" Elijah assured his father in law. "Her pregnancies are usually around a month shorter than a human pregnancy, so she could deliver any day now."

"And I fucking wish I could, but she seems to be taking her sweet god damn time to get here!" Selina called from the bathroom. "I have half a mind to go see Doctor Joel and have him induce labor."

Elijah opened his mouth to say that that wasn't safe, but Matthew put a restraining hand on his arm. "Don't say anything," he whispered. "It's safer that way."

"And can I ask how you would know?" Elijah whispered.

"I was married to her mother, who was exactly the same way," Matthew replied, an answer so obvious that Elijah felt like an idiot. "I mean, if you look at how Selina is normally, you'd never guess that she and her mother were related, since she's more like me, but it's at times like this that the fact that she's her mother's daughter is painfully apparent. Whenever Amelia got like this, I just let her alone until it passed and with that plan in place, we managed pretty well."

"Thankfully, this is a rare mood for your daughter," Elijah replied. "She's usually only this hostile when she's pregnant, so thankfully it comes and goes. Hopefully it won't last much longer."

"Well, however much longer it lasts, good luck," Matthew replied. "And if you think about it, when it's time for her to have the baby, let me know."

"All right," Elijah nodded as Selina emerged and went to sit on the sofa. "I will."

* * *

"Okay!" Selina cried, bursting into Elijah's office without warning a few days later. "I'm sorry if you're busy and all that, but we need to go."

"Right _now_?" Elijah asked. "But just a couple of days ago you said-"

Selina then sped over and actually grabbed the lapel of Elijah's shirt. "We. Go. Now!" She cried. "Get off your ass and take me to the hospital!" She yanked the phone out of his hand and put it to her ear. "Sorry, caller," she said. "I'm in labor so my needs are more important than yours at the moment." She then let out a cry of pain that probably rendered the person on the other side of the line deaf before hanging up and looking at her frightened husband who got up and followed her from the house without a word until he called Matthew as they paused at a stoplight and gave him directions to the hospital so he could meet them.

"All right, I'll be there as soon as I can," Matthew replied. "Thanks for letting me know."

"You're welcome," Elijah replied as Selina cried and swore in the background. Matthew then ended the call, grabbed his coat, and headed to the hospital where, thanks to the fact that Elijah had let the administration staff know he was coming, he was just able to go right on through to see his daughter without any hassle.

* * *

As he stood at her bedside holding his daughter's hand, Matthew was torn between staying where he was and standing out in the hallway as he watched Selina suffer through labor, spouting four-letter words that he knew his wife would have never allowed her to _hear_, much less say. He'd once found it in himself to shoot her so she'd be able to become a vampire again after a werewolf bite, but this…this was much harder to watch.

Finally, he let out a relieved breath as the baby girl emerged and took her first breath. "Is it always like this?" He asked as he wiped his daughter's head. "You did wonderfully."

Selina smiled as her daughter was wrapped in a towel and then handed to her. "You did too," she told him. "I honestly thought you would faint."

"So…what's her name?" Matthew asked the baby's parents.

"Amanda," Elijah said.

"Yep," Selina nodded as she cradled her new daughter, who already had a sprinkling of dark hair. "Amanda Veronica Mikaelson."

"Amanda," Matthew said with a satisfied smile and put his hand on the little baby's head. "How lovely."

"It is, isn't it?" Selina smiled. It was then that she noticed Elijah getting twitchy. "You wanna hold her?" She asked.

"Yes," he replied. "If it's not too much trouble."

Selina shook her head and handed Amanda over so she could meet her father.

"Hi, there," Elijah said as he smiled at the little girl. "I've been waiting for you for a _long_ time and I can't wait to introduce you to all your brothers and sisters."

"How do you think the older children will handle having a new sibling?" Matthew asked. "Are you worried about their reactions?"

"Of course not," Selina replied. "All our kids are adults or close to it by now, and we've _never_ had a problem with bringing a new child into the family, or at least not a problem that wasn't solved quickly."

"Well, aren't you lucky?" Matthew smiled.

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "We are."

* * *

About a week after Amanda's birth, Viktor and Astrid stopped by again to drop off some forms for Elijah to sign, to make his job at the new school official. "So they let you go through with it?" He asked Astrid after he came back with a pen.

"Yeah, they did," Astrid nodded. "You wouldn't _believe_ the relief on some of the school board members' faces when they realized that this school would mean they wouldn't have to expose their perfect, normal, precious magical children to hybrid kids ever again. They couldn't vote 'yes' fast enough!"

"Well, that's wonderful!" Elijah replied. "When do I start?"

"Pretty soon here," Astrid said. "We just have a few more things to sort out and then the school will be open for business. Thank goodness for there being so many abandoned buildings around. It would have taken so long to actually build a building from scratch."

It was at that moment that Selina came into the living room with baby Amanda after feeding her.

"And who is this?" Viktor asked as he approached them both, reaching out gently to pat Amanda on the head.

"This is Amanda," Selina replied. "One of your future students."

"Can I hold her?" Viktor asked.

"Sure," Selina replied and handed her over. "Just be careful, she has a tendency to…" Viktor let out a cry as Amanda spit up all over his jacket. "…spit up," Selina finished. "I'm so sorry. Let me get something to help you clean up that stain."

"Oh, no worries," Viktor replied. He gave Amanda back to her mother and cleaned off his suit jacket with a wave of his hand. "See?" He said when the stain disappeared. "No trouble at all."

"Now you know why I've dressed so casually lately," Elijah said with a smirk. A short while later, he handed Astrid the papers. "I think I've gotten them all filled out and signed," he said.

Astrid looked through them and nodded. "Yep," She said. "You did. Thanks a lot. And I promise we'll let you know when you can start working."

"All right," Elijah replied. "I can't wait!"

They then left and Selina handed Amanda to Elijah, who gazed at the baby with indulgence before asking Selina to hand him a towel, which he put over his shoulder.

"I should have given poor Viktor a towel," Selina sighed and sat down. "I feel bad that I didn't."

"Oh, I don't think you need to worry," Elijah replied. "He took it in stride."

"But I don't know about Laura," Selina told him. "Do you realize that since she first came to see her sister, we haven't heard a word from her? Maybe you should go talk to her, honey."

"All right," Elijah replied, looking down at Amanda. "I'll go talk to Laura. Even if it means leaving this little darling for a few hours."

"You can do it," Selina told him, putting a supportive hand on his shoulder. "I know you can."

* * *

"I can't believe we've lived in this house for so long," Rebecca said as she looked around the cabin.

"I can't believe it either," Eli replied. "I thought you were gonna make a run for it on the second day. So why didn't you? You could have easily. Could it be because deep down you like me a little?"

"Well, if I had to make a choice between going somewhere far away, and being at my mother's beck and call, let's see what option I would pick?" Rebecca replied. "Even if you're just a teenager, you're much better company. Though it's a shame you can't be a werewolf all the time. Those are the fun days."

"I know you watch me transform from the window," Eli told her. "Do you realize how painful it is? I can't just painlessly turn back and forth like you do."

"What's your point?" Rebecca asked.

"I resent your feeling like the only time I'm worth anything is when I'm a werewolf," Eli replied. "That's my point."

"Of course you're worth something when you're not a werewolf!" Rebecca cried. "I mean, if you weren't here, who would cook my meals and clean my house and do my laundry?"

"You would," Eli replied. "And I'm so close to making it so you have to."

"You can't make me do anything," Rebecca replied.

"I'm not gonna make you," Eli replied. "I'm just gonna ask you nicely and hope that you can find it in the goodness of your heart to help me. It won't even take you long with your powers."

"My mother warned me about men like you," Rebecca said, eyes narrowed. "Ones who would just want me to cook and clean because I was a woman."

Eli scoffed. "I don't want you to cook and clean just cause you're a woman," he said. "I want you to do it because right now, I'm the one who's doing all the work when we both live here and I don't think that's fair! It would have been much easier if this was still just a one room hut, but when you expanded it, things got messier and tougher to deal with."

"Of course it's all my fault for wanting to make the place we live a bit more hospitable," Rebecca sighed.

"Yes," Eli nodded. "It is! Now get off your ass and clean!"

Rebecca then stood up and zapped herself into a French maid outfit. "As you wish," she said, coming up to him and kissing him. "But remember, I don't do windows."

"I'll do the windows," Eli replied, then watched with interest as Rebecca literally swept and dusted and vacuumed, even shaking her butt a little in the process. "There," she said when the house was reasonably clean. "Are you happy?"

"Yes," Eli replied, grinning as he sauntered toward her and picked her up. "You've done well. I think you deserve a reward."

"Oh, yes, I do," Rebecca replied with a smile. "Especially after I did something that was _so _hard on me! My back hurts really bad!"

"Does it really?" Eli asked.

"Yes," Rebecca nodded resolutely. "I think I need a massage."

Eli then stripped down to his boxers and helped Rebecca out of her dress, watching with a hot expression as she climbed into bed, her breasts bouncing up and down before she lay down on her stomach and Eli gently massaged her back. The sounds of her moans worried him at first, but when he stopped, she barked at him. "What's the matter with you?" She asked. "Why did you stop?"

"I thought I hurt you," Eli replied. "Did I hurt you?"

"No," Rebecca replied. "I just have a lot of tight muscles. Maybe I'm tense."

"I don't know what you have to be tense about," Eli replied. "Since you don't do anything."

"What are you talking about?" Rebecca said. "I just cleaned our house!"

"You cleaned the living room!" Eli replied. "And it was one time! Just cleaning the living room, although I'm grateful that you did that, doesn't constitute cleaning the whole house."

"You're a real jerk, you know that?" Rebecca asked. "I do all I can to help you and you just disrespect my efforts!" She then winced as Eli gave her a spanking. "What was that for?" She cried.

"You're ticking me off," Eli replied.

"Maybe I should tick you off more often," Rebecca replied, her tongue going over her lips. "Do that again!"

With a sigh, Eli spanked Rebecca a few more times before flipping her over onto her back. "You drive me crazy, you know that?" He asked.

"Yeah," Rebecca nodded and brought his head down so he could kiss her. "You wanna get dressed and get out of here? Maybe go to a hotel?"

"All right," Rebecca nodded as they got dressed for the time being. "Any excuse to get out of this drafty, dreary place."

"All right," Eli nodded. "Race you to the car. First one there gets to drive."

"Oh, you are on!" Rebecca smiled. "Prepare to lose!"

Eli counted and then began to run but groaned in dismay when sneaky, sneaky Rebecca used her powers to disappear and reappear in the car before even Eli's vampire speed could get him there.

"You cheated!" He cried when she let him in the passenger's seat.

"And this surprises you?" She asked. "If it makes you feel better, you can be on top when we get to the hotel."

Eli sighed. "That's okay I guess," he said. "Just start the car."

"Okay," Rebecca replied and turned the key. "I will."


	8. Living Life Her Way

"We might as well just move in here," Eli said as he and Rebecca headed to the hotel again for another tryst. "I mean, we're here often enough."

"I _knew_ you'd like it once you lived somewhere other than that shack in the woods," Rebecca smiled. "Go on. Tell me I'm right."

Eli sighed. "All right," he said. "I guess you were right a little bit."

Rebecca zapped her clothes off and lay on the bed in a reclining position, watching Eli with a smirk. "Wanna try it in the shower this time?" She asked.

"I already showered this morning," Eli replied. "You should have mentioned it then."

"You are _so_ stupid!" Rebecca cried. "I mean, look at me! Do you realize that there are men out there who would be beating down the doors to be in the shower with me?"

"I don't shower more than once a day," Eli replied firmly. "It's a waste of water." When he opened the bathroom door to use the toilet before joining Rebecca in bed, a bucket of slushy, dirty water fell from the top of the door onto him. He let out a cry and swore. "What is your _problem_?" He cried. "You know what, fuck you!"

"All right," Rebecca replied. "I knew you wanted to!"

Eli's response was to ignore her and then head into the bathroom. She followed after him and shut the door behind her and he was so perturbed that even as she undressed, all he did was glower.

"Oh, come on!" Rebecca cried. "That's not a good face. Give me a smile!"

"Well, if you hadn't covered me in dirty, slushy water, then I might be able to," Eli replied. "But now, no such luck."

"That's what the shower is for, you dumbo!" Rebecca yelled, her voice full of exasperation. "Just come in with me. Will you? Please?"

"If I do this for you, will you shut up and leave me alone?" Eli wanted to know.

"Well, yes," Rebecca nodded. "But I don't see what you have to be so bitter for."

"You dumped dirty water on my head when I was already perfectly clean!" Eli yelled. "If that's not a reason to be angry, I don't know what is! You could at least apologize. And then _maybe_ I'd think about going into the shower with you without complaint."

Rebecca gave a loud sigh and said (in a way that didn't sound entirely sincere), "I'm sorry for pouring slushy water on your head to get you into the shower. There, I apologized. Are you happy?"

"Is that as good as it's gonna get?" Eli asked.

"Yes," Rebecca nodded. "It sure is."

"Then I suppose I'll just have to accept it," Eli replied. "But I'm not gonna thank you."

"Hey, if I'm going to the trouble of apologizing, the least you can do is thank me for it," Rebecca replied.

"Not if you're apology wasn't sincere," Eli replied. "And it wasn't!"

"Oh, whatever!" Rebecca cried and took it upon herself to rip off his shirt.

"Hey!" Eli cried, covering himself up with his hands. "What was that for?"

"I'm tired of you picking fights with me, and I want you naked," Rebecca replied. "And if you don't want me to ruin any more of your clothes, I suggest you get your ass moving!"

"You really know how to do foreplay," Eli told her dryly as he finished undressing and turned on the shower. He then gestured for Rebecca to go in before him and then, when they were both standing under the water, Eli grabbed a loofah and soaped it up. "Hmmm…" he said dryly as he looked over Rebecca's wet body. "Where to start, where to start?"

"Why are you even asking yourself this question?" Rebecca wanted to know. "I think the answer would be obvious."

But instead of going straight for the sensitive area between her thighs, Eli started with her neck, slowly scrubbing one side and then the other, and then going down her body as he applied gentle pressure. As he did that, Rebecca let out a moan and began rubbing herself while he watched, her need getting stronger the closer he got to between her thighs. When he got there, she had to hold onto him so she wouldn't fall while he washed her gently, and she cried out as she came.

"Yes!" She yelled, matching his cry as she pulled his hair to keep her balance. "Oh, my god, yes!"

"Stop pulling!" Eli ordered. "Do you think you can do that? It hurts!" Finally, he got her to sit on the floor of the shower while he washed his hair and his body, and then when all the soap had gone down the drain and he was out from underneath the water, Rebecca grinned wickedly, got on her knees, ordered him against the wall, and gently began sucking on him while he braced himself against the shower wall and tried to stay standing up straight. After Rebecca had worn him out, she turned off the water, and helped him out of the shower, toweling him off and then leading him to bed.

"Did I wear you out?" She whispered against his ear. "Don't expect an apology. I'm not sorry." He mumbled with his face against the pillow, she magicked some blankets on him, and then went out to get some food, leaving him to sleep.

* * *

"Isn't it an interesting coincidence that we had our kids at the same time?" Selina asked Amy as her friend cuddled a red-haired daughter of her own, who'd been named Rosalie Margot Mikaelson. They'd decided to try and get their daughters to be friends and although they were a bit young to really interact, at least it would get them started on that path, as well as give their fathers a chance to see each other away from their wives and daughters.

"Yeah, but it's nice too, cause at least they'll already have a friend when they're older," Amy replied. "Don't you think that will be good?"

"Definitely," Selina replied. "I just wish they _were_ a little older so we'd be able to see what they think of each other."

"Me too," Amy replied. "I'll be eager to see when that happens." She sighed. "So other than having a baby, any other exciting stuff going on at your house?"

"Not really," Selina shook her head. "Elijah's been so helpful. Maybe a little _too_ helpful. I know he likes kids, but he doesn't seem to be able to focus on anything else."

"Well, this might sound a bit harsh," Amy said. "But what else does he have to focus on besides Amanda? All your other kids are old enough that they don't need constant parental attention, right?"

"I know it might seem that way, but I'm pretty sure our oldest daughter Laura isn't handling Elijah's attention to Amanda very well. She's always been the apple of her daddy's eye, so sharing attention is a bit jarring for her, I guess. She's called Elijah every night since Amanda was born, but he's always been too busy to take time to talk to her."

"But shouldn't Laura be used to sharing attention? You _do_ have several other children," Amy pointed out. "And I've never had any of _my_ daughters be jealous about Klaus or their sisters. At least not to the point that it's hard to control. If Laura could control herself around her other siblings, Amanda shouldn't be any different."

"Logically, that would be accurate," Selina nodded. "But there are certain things about Laura, certain werewolf things, that make her relationship with her father a bit more complicated. I think she's attached to Elijah in such a way that any other girl (besides me) who tries to bond with him as much will be seen as a threat and subject to horrible retribution of I don't do something about it. Enid, the witch who created werewolves, warned me that could happen when she told me I was having Roxie. She made it seem like that only happened between werewolf husbands and wives, but I suppose any strong attachment that's threatened could lead to the same thing." She shrugged.

"But Laura's so nice!" Amy pointed out. "I can't see her subjecting _anyone_ to retribution!"

"People said that about me too, and I spent an entire decade murdering guys that pissed me off to the point where I became famous," Selina replied dryly. "If that sort of behavior was in me, it's in Laura too. We'll just have to wait and see what happens. Hopefully nothing will, but you never know."

* * *

After trying several times to get a hold of his daughter once Selina urged him to call her back and failing, Elijah just decided to go straight to Laura's house. He got there just as Edward returned home from work and they both came in at the same time, with Edward going to sit in front of the TV, and Elijah going to the basement to talk to Laura.

"Hey," he said to her as she turned and gave him a very sour look. "Are you all right?"

"Well, look who finally showed up?" She said. "I thought you'd be too busy with your new favorite daughter to remember me."

"Laura, she's a _baby_!" Elijah reminded her. "She needs my care and attention."

"She has a mom too, you know!" Laura replied, trying not to cry. "Every time I've called you since that stupid baby was born, you ignored me! Why is she suddenly so important and I'm not?"

"You're _very_ important to me!" Elijah replied. "Let's go somewhere so I can prove it."

"It depends," Laura replied. "Will the baby come too?"

"No, she won't," Elijah replied. "I promise."

"Don't make any promises you can't keep," Laura sighed. "In fact, maybe it would just be better if you went away."

Elijah's jaw dropped a bit, and he nodded. "All-all right," he got out and swallowed. "You know, when I came here, I thought you'd be so happy to see me that things between us would be fixed immediately. But as that's not the case, I'll just go now. I'm sorry I put you through this, and I'll have my phone near me for whenever you decide to call again. I swear that no matter what I'm doing, even if it's with Amanda, I'll answer it this time."

Laura just scoffed at that and Elijah headed upstairs. When Edward saw the look on his face, he got up off the sofa and came to put a hand on his father-in-law's arm. "Anything I can do?" He asked.

"No, thank you," Elijah told him. "I think we're at an impasse." He left and Edward stayed at the top of the stairs with his arms crossed until Laura came up the stairs. "You really hurt your father, you know," he chided his wife.

"Oh?" Laura responded. "Did I? Where's everyone who's yelling at _him_ for hurting _me_? It's really not that fair, you know? I give that man years and years of devotion and what do I get? Nothing. Dumped for the first cute little baby that comes along. Well, you know what? Screw it. If he doesn't want me, then what's the point in trying? First my son abandons me, then my father. I may as well live my life my way now, since he won't notice whenever I do something to make him happy."

"Laura, what are you saying?" Edward asked nervously.

"I'm saying I wanna be a werewolf," Laura replied. "I'll go find someone to kill, and then all I have to do is wait. And with all the anger I've got inside of me right now, whoever I catch is gonna have a slow and painful death. Or be beat up so bad they're practically unrecognizable. I can't decide which." She peered at Edward. "You wanna come with me?"

"No, thank you," Edward replied. "I love you too much to see you ruin yourself for something the most idiotic reasons I've ever heard."

"Fine," Laura shrugged. "I'll go alone. But you're really missing out. Goodbye."


	9. Looking For Attention

Despite what she'd told Edward, Laura only went to Roxie's bar and not on a murder spree. But, since he still believed that she'd gone out to murder, he regarded her with caution and it did Laura good to know that she at least had power over _one_ man. Even so, her anger was strong, so she was at Roxie's basically every night.

"You know, men suck!" Laura told her sister. "And whoever said that the only man a girl can depend on is her daddy is a big fat liar!"

"Oh! Did Uncle Elijah do something wrong?" Roxie asked. "Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

"They had another baby and Daddy likes her more than me," Laura replied. "And I don't get it. Dad's been attached to like, Margaret and Gregory and stuff, but I never had the urge to kill either of _them_ like I do with this new daughter." She paused. "Roxie, did you ever have the urge to kill Lucy?"

"Yeah, when she was real little and Daddy was giving her all my stuff, you better believe I did," Roxie replied.

"So what should I do?" Laura asked. "Should I accept that Dad pays attention to Amanda now and try to make friends, or…?"

"No!" Roxie shook her head. "Don't let a stupid baby have more power than you! You're higher up in the hierarchy! Uncle Elijah should love you first!" She hit the bar with her fist. "You have to go claim your territory, otherwise you'll be left out and no one will think of you ever!"

For the first time, Laura had doubts. What Roxie was saying seemed like a bit much. Then she remembered her father hanging up on her over and over, got up, thanked Roxie, and headed to her parents' house.

Elijah was very pleased when he opened the door and saw Laura on the other side. But when she saw that Amanda was wrapped snugly in a sort of sling against his chest, she turned to go. "Wait, wait, wait!" He cried. "Why don't you come in?"

"Cause I can see you're busy," Laura replied. "If you want me to come in and talk to you, get rid of the baby."

"Oh, but I can't!" Elijah replied. "Your mother is napping, so I have to watch her."

"Tell me something, Daddy," Laura replied, coming in anyway. "How is that every single time I call or come over, you can't take five minutes to put the baby down and talk to me? How is it that every time I want to talk to you, you can't let the baby go? I understand she's little, but you can't just use that as an excuse when you have other people like me who need your attention too. I mean, do you even feel bad for all you've put me through? Any twinge of regret at all?"

"Laura dear, I love you, but don't you think you're being just a tad over dramatic? You're a grown woman with a husband and a family of your own," Elijah told her. "You have no reason to be jealous or feel the need to cling to me like a child. If you want to schedule time for us to spend together, I'll be more than happy to make space on my calendar, but if you've just come to throw a tantrum, I have no time for that, so you can go on your way."

Laura huffed. "Well, fine," she said. "I guess the only way a person can get attention around here is if they're a small child, never mind the needs of anyone else." She then stomped off and Elijah sighed. "She used to be the good one," he said to himself. "I wonder what in the world came over her."

* * *

"I really don't know if letting you buy me clothes was such a good idea," Eli told Rebecca as she led him into the mall. "How about you shop and I go wait for you in the car?" He started to go and she grabbed his arm.

"Oh, come on!" She replied. "This is a _mall,_ not some place dangerous! I really think you need new clothes. Aren't you tired of khaki and those really lame polo shirts and sweater vests? I think you need something with a bit more color! Or possibly something in leather!" She grinned wickedly.

"No!" Eli cried. "No leather!"

"Why not?" Rebecca asked. "I think you'd look sexy!"

"I don't wear stuff like that," Eli shook his head. "You should know that by now!"

"Would you wear it just for me?" Rebecca asked, massaging his scalp and running her fingers through his hair as he felt himself start to get aroused right there in the mall. "Please?"

"Oh, all right, fine!" he said. "I'll let you buy me a few things. But that's all! And I'll buy myself stuff I'll actually wear."

Rebecca smirked. "Don't be silly. You'll wear what I buy you. Maybe not all the time, but it won't go unworn. Not if I have anything to say about it! Now wait in the dressing room while I go pick you out some things."

"But you don't know what my sizes are!" Eli cried.

"Yes, I do," Rebecca assured him. "I looked at all the tags in your clothes before we left to come here."

She disappeared from the dressing room and Eli sighed. Sometimes, he just didn't know what to do about Rebecca. She was a beautiful woman, and the sex was great, of course, but she was so…_mean_. Everything had to be about her, all the time. He knew he deserved better, and was probably an idiot to hope that he could change her, but she'd been a good woman once, and it was probably in her somewhere still. He just had to hold his head up high, stand up to her every once in awhile, and then hopefully, he'd find whatever it was that was making her bad and be able to undo it so she could be good again.

When she finally returned and put the clothes she'd found on the hooks in the dressing room for him to try on, he was dismayed (but not surprised) to find out that each article of clothing that she picked was made of different colors of leather. "Okay," she said. "What do you want to try on first?"

"None of it," Eli shook his head. "I told you I don't do leather!"

"Well, no worries," Rebecca replied and zapped off his clothes so he was just in his boxers and he tried to cover up his chest with his arms. "You don't have to cause I can do it for you!" She then zapped him into leather pants a leather jacket, and even a pair of leather briefs before she finally put his own clothes back on him. He'd actually liked the jacket, but he'd never admit that to her.

"There," he said. "You've seen me in leather, you've had your fun, now I'm gonna go buy what _I_ want!"

Rebecca sighed. "Fine, you don't have to wear the leather pants, but won't you at least keep the jacket? You only have to wear it behind bedroom doors, I swear."

"And what sort of compensation do I get for doing you this big favor?" He asked, arms crossed. "What sexy thing will you wear for _my_ enjoyment?"

Rebecca giggled and then whispered against his earlobe. "Does nothing count as something?"

"No, that's taking the easy way out!" Eli replied and then after agreeing to get the coat (as a way to achieve his own ends), he brought her to the women's department and picked out a conservative black turtleneck and a red plaid skirt that went down to Rebecca's knees. "Now you wear this," he said.

"But why?" Rebecca cried. "It's not even sexy!"

"Just put it on," Eli replied. "Please?"

Rebecca rolled her eyes and went to put on the outfit while Eli watched. The shirt turned out to be tighter than she'd thought, and so between the good view he was getting of her breasts, and the other that he was getting of her legs, Eli was enjoying himself immensely.

"How about you jump up and down a little now?" He asked with a smirk.

Rebecca's eyes narrowed, but she couldn't help grinning a little. "You're really enjoying yourself, aren't you, kid?" She asked.

"Oh, yes," Eli nodded, standing up, striding over to her, taking her in his arms, and kissing her deeply. "I really am."

"You think you're so smart," Rebecca replied. "But I've got your number. I know how your mind works."

"Oh, yeah?" Eli raised an eyebrow. "What am I thinking now?"

"You're thinking that you wanna go home and get naked, and after that, we'll spend the rest of the day in bed," Rebecca replied as his hand went up the back of her thigh and slipped under her skirt in spite of his not wanting to give into her as she unzipped him and stroked his very obvious erection. "After all, we left the house like you wanted. But now I've had enough."

"Oh, all right," Eli sighed, although when he'd proposed leaving the house, he'd hoped to do something a bit more intellectual before coming back and rolling around on the bed like an animal. "Let's go."

* * *

"Is there anything you and I need to talk about?" Selina asked Laura when she'd come to visit only after making sure the chat with her mother wouldn't be entirely taken up by baby Amanda. "Anything you want to say about your sister? And I've been where you are. With Roxie and even with you a little bit. So I understand."

"No, I don't think you do," Laura replied. "When Dad wouldn't answer my calls, I felt like garbage, okay? Like I wasn't worth anything to him cause someone cuter and more dependent came along. It's not my fault that I can't visit as often as I used to because I've got a husband and a business, and a couple of kids. Why is he punishing me?" She paused. "You know, I take it back. You might be able to understand after all."

"Oh, I do," Selina replied and kissed Laura's hair. "You know your father. He's a sucker for girls he can be a knight in shining armor to. That's what brought him and me together, and the tradition continued with you, and Margaret, and now Amanda."

So what do I do?" Laura asked. Then, she got an idea. "Never mind," she said. "I've solved it."

"Good for you," Selina replied as her daughter ran out of the house and straight to Savannah's, where she begged her morally flexible sister to make her up a potion, which she then consumed before asking Savannah to take her home.

* * *

It was Elijah who answered the door to Savannah's knock, and when he saw his niece holding the hand of the little girl with the brown hair and big blue eyes, he said, "Who is this? Did you and Jonathan adopt another one, Savannah?"

"No, this is Laura," Savannah replied, then offered him the little girl's hand. "Bye!" She disappeared, leaving Elijah staring at the little girl who was supposedly his full grown daughter.

"Laura?" He said finally. "Is that you? What happened?"

"I had Savannah make me small," Laura replied. "Can I come in, please?"

"Of course," Elijah replied. "I think you and I need to have a discussion anyway."

"Good," Laura replied. "I _knew_ that if I was small, you'd pay attention to me. Cause that's how it works in this house!"

Elijah sighed. He wanted to scold her so badly, but since she'd done what she'd done cause of his lack of attention, it seemed a bit hypocritical. He took a deep breath, tried to stay calm, and talked to her instead.

"So, what's the problem?" He asked her.

"I just want some attention," Laura replied and climbed in his lap. "That won't be so hard for you, will it?"

"You know, it was your sister doing naughty things like this for attention that got her sent to boarding school," Elijah replied as he held on to her. "If you want to talk to me, you need to act as grown up as possible."

"Well, it's hard to do the grown up thing when you won't answer my calls," Laura pointed out. "And you _can't_ send me to boarding school. My husband Edward wouldn't like it!"

"Speaking of your husband Edward, how do you think he'll feel when he finds out you shrunk yourself like this?" Elijah asked. "Not good, I'm sure."

"I'm not gonna be like this forever!" Laura replied. "Just until we finish talking." She took a small vial out of one of her pockets. "See? This will make me big again. I can take it whenever I want."

"Well, you better do it soon," Elijah told her. "I promised you that I'd make more time for you and I intend to keep that promise without you needing to do any ridiculous stunts like this to get my attention."

"Are you sure?" Laura asked.

"Yes," Elijah nodded. "Now turn back."

"Not yet," Laura replied. "I'm very unhappy about Amanda. I don't know why, but for some reason, she makes me madder than all the other kids."

"Well, I'm sorry," Elijah replied. "I know it can't be pleasant to feel like you've been replaced. I never liked it myself. But I can't drop everything with Amanda for long periods of time just because you're too used to being the one that I pay attention to the most."

"What about an hour a week?" Laura asked. "You think you can do that? And you have to come to my house or go out with me for that hour. No staying here cause you'll get distracted and let the baby horn in on my daddy time!"

"All right," Elijah replied. "I'll give you an hour a week, I promise."

"Write it down and sign it," Laura requested. "And I'm gonna go tell Mom about it too, so she can remind you if you forget."

"All right," Elijah replied and followed her to Amanda's nursery. "But I don't really think this is necessary. You're really overreacting."

"No, I'm not," Laura replied. "You're just clueless."

They reached the nursery and Laura put the paper in her pocket just as Selina was shutting the door behind her. She took one look at little Laura, grabbed her hand, and took her to a place far away enough from Amanda's room that she wouldn't wake her before speaking. "Laura, what have you done to yourself? And it can be reversed, can't it?"

"Yes," Laura nodded. "I only did this cause Daddy just pays attention to you if you're little. I have a way to reverse the potion in my pocket. But before I turn back, I have to say that Daddy and I have made a deal that he'll spend time with me for an hour a week and there'll be no baby interruptions. You have to remind him if he forgets, please. Otherwise I will keep doing this until he remembers."

"Well, that's just not a good idea," Selina replied. "Don't worry, I'll remind him if he forgets."

"All right," Laura replied. "That's all I needed to hear." Then she drank the potion that made her exactly as she'd been (clothes and all) before she'd taken it and strode from Selina and Elijah's house like nothing had ever happened.


	10. Hard Lessons Learned

"You'll be happy to know that I've not killed anyone, and I'm not a werewolf," Laura told Edward as she took him in her arms. "I know you were worried about it cause I said something about committing murder. I didn't do it though. I swear."

"I didn't think you would, really," Edward replied. "You're not the type. But you seem _much_ better now."

"Yeah," Laura nodded. "I got a written and signed agreement from Daddy that he'll come and spend an hour a week with me at least without any interference from Amanda."

"Wait, so you're saying that you talked to him like a grown up and ended up getting exactly what you wanted?" Edward asked. "Who'd have thought it?"

"Oh, ha ha, you're so funny," Laura replied and then kissed him. She decided not to tell him about the potion. That would upset him, and she'd already put him through enough.

"And how do you feel about your father's new job?" Edward wanted to know. "Are you mad at him for all the time that takes up too?"

"Of course not," Laura shook her head. "I work. I know that it takes time, and I don't think badly of him for taking a job."

"Good," Edward replied. "I just wanted to make sure."

"I only got upset about Amanda cause Daddy was neglecting all my calls before, when he wasn't busy with something like a job. Him not answering my calls because he's working is okay."

"All right, I get it," Edward replied. "You don't need to go over this anymore, I promise." He paused. "What do you think our son Eli is up to? You told him when he moved in with Rebecca that he still had to go to school, right? He's not ditching it to spend all his time having sex with a woman?"

"Well, as we have yet to get any calls from administrators telling us that he's playing hooky, I think he's done exactly what he promised he would do by going to school every day," Laura said. "I don't believe it's anything we need to worry about."

"Good," Edward nodded. "That's comforting."

It was then that the front door opened and Katherine called out, "Okay, I'm here! How long until our first appointment?"

"Ten minutes!" Laura called back. "Although it surprises me you're not aware of that since you're the one who keeps track of all the scheduling."

"I _do_ keep track of things, but lots of people come," Katherine replied as she crowded Laura down the stairs and earned herself a glare. "Sometimes it's hard to remember one specific appointment or person off the top of my head."

"Good point," Laura replied. "Sorry." She took a look at the schedule and got ready for the first client, who was coming in for a perm while Katherine sat down at the reception desk, put her feet up, and began filing her red-painted nails as she waited for the phone to ring.

* * *

"Why is it that you have to go to school?" Rebecca voiced the same complaint every morning. "No one says you have to."

"Well, one, I want to, cause I like learning," Eli replied. "And two, I promised my mom that I would as a condition of her allowing me to move in with you."

"I don't like you going to school," Rebecca huffed. "It's full of girls your own age who could be greedy and try to steal you."

"Oh, I don't think you have to worry about that," Eli replied. "None of the girls at school are really interested in me. You know, like you weren't before you went crazy."

"Well, their loss is my gain, isn't it?" Rebecca smiled. "Say, what would you think if I…got one of your teachers out of the way for a day and took their place?"

"No," Eli replied flatly. "And I might have to bring a classmate here for a project, so when she comes, be nice."

"And when will this person be arriving to do this project with you?" Rebecca demanded. "What class is it for?"

"I don't think I care to share that information with you," Eli replied. "I don't want you getting any ideas."

"What sort of ideas?" Rebecca wanted to know.

"If I told you, you would get them in your head, and I think the world would be a better place if you just stayed put," Eli said firmly. "Now, I gotta go. I don't want to be late."

"No," Rebecca replied as he slammed the door behind him and drove off. "We certainly don't want that."

* * *

Eli's day at school went well until he headed into English class and nearly fell over at the sight of Rebecca in the room, wearing a very sexy outfit. "Oh, dear," she said as she wrote her name on the chalk board. "Are you hurt? You need to stop being so clumsy."

"What are _you_ doing here?" Eli yelled as he got to his feet, causing the other students to give him odd looks. "How did you even know this was my class?"

Rebecca grabbed her purse and pulled out a small day planner, holding it out to him so he could take it. "You left this on your night table," she said. "And it proved very useful for my purposes." Eli snatched his planner back and stuck it in his bag as Rebecca gave him a smile and turned back to the board to write the day's assignment.

"Excuse me," a girl raised her hand as she read what Rebecca had written, which was a sonnet of Shakespeare's that the class was to break down grammatically and discuss. "We're studying Hemingway now. Didn't the teacher's notes tell you that?"

"Hey, who's the teacher here?" Rebecca snapped at her. "Is it you? No, it's me. So sit down and shut up!"

The girl went red to the roots of her dark hair and sank down in her seat as Rebecca glared at everyone else. "Anyone else have complaints about what we're learning today? Now, get into groups. Eli, I see that you could benefit from a little assistance, so you'll be coming with me while everyone works on figuring out sonnet structure."

"Fine," Eli said through his teeth. "Let's go…_ma'am._"

He followed her out in the hallway and she smiled at him. "Are you surprised to see me?"

"Why yes, I am surprised," Eli replied. "Although I _shouldn't_ be surprised that you would resort to interfering with my privacy as a way to ruin my life."

"Oh, don't be over dramatic, darling," Rebecca said dismissively. "I'm not trying to ruin your life at all. I'm trying to get more involved. You're always saying we should do more together."

"I meant at _home_!" Eli cried. "Not at school!" He looked her outfit over. Her plaid skirt was a mini, and although he couldn't take his eyes off it, he scolded her anyway. "You can't wear something like that to school! It's way too short!"

"Says who?" Rebecca wanted to know.

"Well, the principal, the other teachers, everyone," Eli replied. "Dressing like that interferes with people's learning, cause you're exposing way too much!"

"Is that so?" Rebecca asked. "And just _whose_ learning is being affected by my dressing like this? Horny boys who were never slapped upside the head and told firmly that women should be treated as people and not sexual objects? I will wear what I want, and if boys can't get it in their heads that they should still have to learn regardless of what the girls and women around them are wearing, that's not my problem. I mean, I've seen boys running around with their pants halfway down their legs and their underwear clearly visible, yet no one says a thing about that, do they?"

"Well, no," Eli shook his head. "I never thought of it that way."

Rebecca nodded. "Those on the right side of the status quo never do. But enough of this chatter. You need to get to work, and I'm sure I can find you a perfectly lovely partner to work with who isn't a girl." She paused. "But before we go in, what do you think of my outfit?"

"I like it," Eli admitted, even though he didn't want to as he looked over the tight white sweater the short plaid skirt had been paired with. "This really wasn't the appropriate time to wear it, but I like it."

"Good," Rebecca smiled. "I thought you would." She then set him up with a partner and gave a harsh slap to a boy who was staring intently at the large chest of the girl he was working with. "You're here to work," she told him. "And if you don't wish to be sent out of this class, you'll respect your partner and get your ass to work. Am I clear? Or," she said to herself, "How about I just give your partner an 'A' for the day while you do this entire exercise by yourself, hmmm?"

"But I don't understand a word of this!" The boy complained. "I don't know what the hell I'm doing!"

"Well, then you should have been working instead of thinking it would be okay to ogle your classmate," Rebecca replied as his partner sat down with a grin on her face. "Now get to work. And if I so much as hear a peep out of you, you're going straight to the principal. Do you understand me?"

The boy nodded, took up his pencil and got to work while Eli shook his head and asked himself whether he was proud or embarrassed about what had just happened. He chose to be proud, and after class got out, when his following period was free, he went and bought Rebecca lunch, and then they made out in his car until it was time for him to go back to school.

* * *

"You don't need to explain to me why Laura showed up here looking like a three-year-old," Selina told Elijah. "After the talk she and I had about the whole Amanda issue, I thought she'd do something like that."

"Well, aren't you just the queen of knowing everything?" Elijah sassed his wife. "You couldn't have clued me in?"

"Even if I would have told you, you wouldn't have listened cause you _never_ listen to stuff that requires you to think differently than you do," Selina replied. "Then you face the consequences and learn the lesson that way. I didn't want to rock the boat. Good for you for talking to Laura normally rather than getting angry with her. Maybe you're learning after all."

"Do _you_ think I pay too much attention to Amanda?" Elijah asked.

"Well, I don't think it would hurt for you to spend some time with your outside interests, including our other children, but given Amanda's age, it's not as bad as it could be," Selina replied as she cuddled her baby daughter. "And as long as you and Laura have come up with a plan so that she no longer feels ignored, then I don't think I need to be involved anymore. Tell me about your new job. You haven't said much."

Elijah shrugged. "Well there's not much to tell, really. I go, I teach, I come home."

"Oh, come on!" Selina smiled."That can't be all. Are any of the kids a problem?"

"Well, I shouldn't have to say that King kind of is," Elijah replied. "And I'm torn between disciplining him the way I do with the other children cause it's fair, and wanting to be soft on him because I know firsthand why he's as troublesome as he is. How did _you _handle him when you watched him?"

"You have to be firm, but not rude," Selina replied. "You know that if you just yell, he's gonna resent you and ignore everything you say. But if you discipline him firmly but with understanding, I think you should do all right."

Elijah nodded. "Thank you. And it's lucky for me that I have some help."

"You do?" Selina asked. "Really?"

"Yes," Elijah nodded. "Vivi sits by him in class and helps him with things. She's very good with him, really."

"I'm just stunned how a relationship between Klaus' daughter and Mikael's son could turn out so well," Selina said. "Aren't you?"

"A little bit, yes," Elijah nodded.

"Okay, so the kids can be a challenge," Selina nodded. "What about the _good_ things about your job?"

"Well, I get to see Alistair every day," Elijah replied. "He teaches ethics and beginner's magic. We have lunch together and sometimes Jonathan Putnam joins us."

"Does he?" Selina smiled. "Well, that's nice. Not that I was worried about you doing your job well, but I was really lost as to how you would handle a work environment, seeing as how we don't have neighbors to socialize with and mainly hang out as a family."

"Oh, I have it under control, thank you," Elijah said and kissed her head as he took his turn with Amanda. "No need to worry about me, dear."


	11. The First Date

About a week or so later, Rebecca was waiting for Eli to return home from school, wearing some new lingerie she brought to surprise him. She heard him open the front door and call out to her, and then, laughing to herself, she ran to the front door and then let out a shriek, struggling to find something to cover herself up with as she realized that Eli had brought a girl home with him.

"Well," she said at last as she gave the girl an uneasy smile, "Eli, want to introduce me to your friend?"

"You're that teacher!" The girl said. "I remember you."

"Oh, well…good," Rebecca nodded. "Okay."

"I think you and I need to talk," Eli told Rebecca and led her far away.

"You didn't tell me you were bringing home a friend," Rebecca told him. "Is this for another school project?"

"No," Eli replied. "I'm taking her out on a date. I just wanted you to meet her so things wouldn't be weird, but I think that ship has sailed."

"Why would you need to go out with another girl?" Rebecca asked. "What about me? I have needs! You can't just leave me like this!"

"I need more emotionally than you can offer," Eli explained. "But don't worry; Sandra's vowed to be chaste until marriage, so I'll still come home and go to bed with you. That way, everyone wins." He paused. "Don't throw a fit about this. Please do _not_ throw a fit about this."

"Who's throwing a fit?" Rebecca wanted to know. "As long as you come back to me at night, I don't care _what_ you do during the day, especially if it saves me from having to listen to a bunch of mushy emotional garbage. This may surprise you, but I'm not here for that."

Eli nodded. "I didn't think this change in our relationship would bother you too much."

"But what about your little friend?" Rebecca wanted to know. "How will _she_ feel about all this, do you think?"

"Well, like I said," Eli responded. "Her plan is not to have sex until she's married, so she'll probably be relieved that I won't be pressuring her."

"I hope that's how it plays out," Rebecca smiled. "And that the two of you will be very happy."

"Oh, we will," Eli nodded. "But I don't know about you. If you're uncomfortable about this in any way, you can tell me."

Rebecca heard this and burst out laughing. "Oh, you sweet boy," she said, patting his head. "Do I seem upset to you?"

"Well, no," Eli admitted. "But that's because you haven't had a lot of time to become suspicious and angry yet. I know you think you'll be okay with it, but I just have this nagging feeling that when what I'm doing really hits home, you're not gonna take it well."

"Whatever would make you think a ridiculous thing like that?" Rebecca wanted to know. "I'm happy for you. Can't you just accept that?"

"No, I can't!" Eli shook his head. "I know you way too well. Ever since you had your little accident, you've been jealous and angry and unable to accept that I have a life outside of you."

"Well, maybe that was true in the past," Rebecca replied. "But I accept that you want to do something a little different and I promise I won't interfere. Cross my heart and hope to die."

Eli shook his head. "Well, let's just hope it doesn't go that far," he told her. Then he looked at Louisa, who was waiting patiently. "I've enjoyed this little chat," he said. "But I have a date to go on and I probably shouldn't keep Louisa waiting any more than I have. Please tell me you have some way to entertain yourself that doesn't involve skulking around and spying on us."

"Hard as it may be for you to believe, I _do_ have a life outside of you," Rebecca informed him. "Your mom is doing my hair, so there will be no skulking or spying. In fact, I should probably get going now if I don't want to be late."

"All right, you do that," Eli said without looking back at her as he approached Louisa, a gangly girl with long, dishwater blonde hair that she used to hide her face to tell her that he was ready to leave for their date and apologized for keeping her waiting. "When you see my mom, tell her 'Hi' from me, please."

"Will do," Rebecca assured him. "See you later."

* * *

"Your son and I are in a purely sexual relationship now," Rebecca told Laura as she came in for her haircut. "He takes another girl out for food and emotional stuff and then comes home to me at night."

"Well, that sounds…odd," Laura replied. "Are you okay with that? Should I have a talk with my son?"

"I knew it was coming," Rebecca replied. "He's all into sharing emotions and stuff and I'm really not into that, so I suppose the arrangement we have now is okay, though I can't deny I want him all to myself. But I suppose having him at night is better than not having him at all." She sighed. "You think I should go a darker blonde?" She asked.

"I don't know," Laura replied, wondering if it had really been necessary for Rebecca to tell her about what was going on between her and Eli when it seemed to all be going well without her help. "What do you think?"

"I think we should," Rebecca nodded. "Oh, and before I forget, Eli wanted me to tell you 'Hello'."

"Wonderful," Laura smiled. "Has he talked to you about how things are going at school? Cause my father is teaching at this school for hybrid supernatural children, and I was thinking that if he hated being at human school, we could send him to this new place instead."

"It seems like he's doing all right, actually," Rebecca replied. "I taught one of his classes for a day, just for something to do, and it didn't seem like he was having any trouble."

"I was hoping you'd say that," Laura told her as she mixed up her color. Then she put it on and left it to set before finishing Rebecca's look. "You like that?" She asked as Rebecca stared at her darker hair in the mirror.

"Yeah, I do!" Rebeca nodded and shook her hair out. "You think we could make it a little shorter? Like a bob?"

"We definitely could," Laura assured her and grabbed the scissors. "In fact, I really like that idea."

"Yeah," Rebecca said.. "And I hope Eli will too when I see him tonight."

* * *

"That woman who was here and then left…who is she?" Louisa asked Eli as they got back from the restaurant where they'd gone out to eat. "Is that your sister?"

"No, she's a friend," Eli replied. "She had an accident awhile back and her parents weren't able to look after her, so I said I would."

"Oh, my goodness!" Louisa cried and hugged him with tears in her eyes. "You're the most giving, selfless boy I've ever met!"

"Yes, well, I wouldn't go _that_ far," Eli told her as he flushed a deep red. "I just wanted to make sure she was taken care of. Anyone in my position would have done the same thing."

"Not necessarily," Louisa replied. "That's what makes it so wonderful."

"Well," Eli laughed. "If you insist, I won't contradict you." He then stood up. "Are you ready to go? Or do you want to stick around longer?"

"I think I should be getting home," Louisa replied. "My curfew is ten-thirty and it's almost ten right now." She reached out and took his hand, and they headed out to Eli's car just as Rebecca was pulling into the garage. "I'll be back in a minute!" He called out to her. "Love your hair!"

"Thank you for noticing," Rebecca shouted. "And I'll keep the bed warm for you, I promise."

Hoping Louisa hadn't heard that last remark as she started the car, Eli buckled himself into the driver's seat, glad that he'd have a period, however brief, of peace and quiet before he had to go back to Rebecca. Cause there was no denying she could be a handful, even if the sex was great.

* * *

The next day, Elijah and Selina also had plans for good times in the bedroom. "You're not going to complain about my spending this whole day off with you, are you?" He asked her as they stood next to the bed in their bathrobes after a late breakfast cause Elijah had had some errands to run, including dropping off Amanda with Amy so they could have the house to themselves.

"Well, of course not," Selina replied, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him. "Was it hard for you to say 'goodbye' to Amanda?"

"A little bit," Elijah nodded. "But this whole mess with Laura has taught me that I need to focus on other things once in a while too. And if Amanda won't be all right at Amy's, where would she be all right?"

"I wasn't feeling neglected, but I agree with your decision," Selina smiled. "You found all your messages on the desk in your office, right? Nothing seems to be going wrong, which is a relief."

"Speaking of my office, what do you say we go in there?" Elijah asked, picking her up. "Or would you prefer the bedroom?"

"Bedroom," Selina decided. Then, Elijah carried her off and after putting her down on her feet, shut the bedroom door behind them. And as he buried himself in her deeply, she couldn't help but feel glad that Amanda was out of the house so she could scream as loud as she wanted.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Klaus and Amy's, Klaus was watching with amusement as Amy cared for both Rosalie and Amanda, trying to feed them both at once while they squirmed and babbled and made a big mess.

"And just what is so funny?" Amy asked him. "If you're gonna laugh, the least you could do is come help with Rosalie."

"Oh, all right," Klaus conceded and came to take control of his daughter. "But may I remind you that when I asked if I could help you earlier, you insisted on handling both girls on your own? I don't want to feel like I'm getting in the way."

"Yeah, I'm…I'm sorry about that," Amy apologized. "I don't know what I was thinking when I said I wanted to handle both girls by myself."

"It's a shame King and Vivi are at school," Klaus said. "They seemed to be able to handle Rosie quite well."

He took Rosalie over to the sofa and finally got her to be still as he laid her on the sofa and then opened her bottle, bit his wrist, and let some of the blood drip in, turning the formula red.

"Isn't it a bit early for you to do that?" Amy asked, feeling alarmed and holding Amanda closer to herself. "You waited longer with the other girls."

"Why are you so worried?" Klaus asked. "I won't let anything go wrong. It will be fine."

Amy let out a yelp as Rosalie drank the red milk and her eyes changed. Visions of Savannah when she was out of control were dancing in her head. She was worried, but now that blood had been introduced into Rosalie's system, all she could do was wait and see what happened.


	12. Rebecca's New Friends

"I hope you weren't expecting me to take you on a Valentine's date," Eli told Rebecca as he pushed her against the wall and pulled off her shirt, cupping her breasts with his hands while he bit her neck. "Louisa wanted to go, and I couldn't very well take both of you at the same time, could I?"

"Oh, don't worry about it," Rebecca assured him with a gasped as he slowly licked the blood up. "I like you buying me wine and getting me drunk much better. It adds a bit of a thrill, doesn't it?"

"I suppose it does," Eli nodded. "But you'll have to handle our hangovers in the morning."

"Why should I do that for you because you were silly enough to drink more than you could handle?" Rebecca asked. "You act as if we're dating so I have some obligation to take care of you when you screw up."

"Well, I _did_ get you away from your mother after you had an accident," Eli replied, getting down on his knees, pulling down her jeans and underwear, and swirling his tongue around inside her after she obeyed his command to spread her legs as she rested her hands on his head and laughed. "Don't you think that should be worth something?" He asked as he brought his head up to stare at her. "Cause you know, Louisa appreciates what I do. It wouldn't hurt you to follow her example."

"You know, it's really childish and immature of you to mention Louisa and what she would do when you want something from me," Rebecca told him. "It's a horrible form of manipulation and maybe I don't like it."

"Well, fine," Eli replied. "If you think I'm being emotionally manipulative when I most certainly am not and you would rather go be with someone else, go ahead. I won't stop you."

Rebecca was taken aback. She hadn't expected him to react that way. She'd thought that he was gonna apologize and beg forgiveness instead. But apparently not." She twisted her mouth and said, "Well I might give you _one_ more chance," she said. "But it's positively the last one, and then I'm looking elsewhere for company."

"All right," Eli replied. "Whatever. Oh, and I have to tell you that Louisa is introducing me to her parents tonight, at some big family shindig, and we plan on getting back tonight, but there's a big storm that could possibly delay us."

"Good to know," Rebecca replied. "I'll have to find some way to distract myself from missing you horribly."

"Oh, you can do it," Eli replied. "I have no doubt."

* * *

And that's exactly what she had to do that night. The storm made visibility on the roads practically non-existent, so Eli and Louisa had to stop off at a hotel for the night (in separate rooms, of course). Eli had called Rebecca to tell her this, and promised to give her a reward if she handled it well. She was able to at first, but as the night wore on, pictures of Louisa seducing Eli began floating through her mind. Finally, she was so convinced that that was what was going on at the hotel that she put on a coat, grabbed her umbrella, and headed out to a bar, chatting up the first attractive man to buy her a drink (A young guy with dark hair and brown eyes who was older than Eli, but not by much), before inviting him back to her house for a tryst, something that he took her up on without any protest while she imagined the look on Eli's face when he came and found them in the morning.

* * *

"Thank you for agreeing to do this while I handle my conference call," Elijah told Laura as she came through the door of her parents' house after answering a call to come before their scheduled father-daughter time cause he needed a favor and saw her father holding her sister. "I know you're not Amanda's biggest fan, but I really think you should spend some time with her. Even if it doesn't change your mind about her, it _might_ help."

"I don't have to watch her alone, do I?" Laura asked. "Doesn't the thought of having someone who dislikes her watching her alone make you nervous?"

"No," Elijah shook his head. "I know that you're grown up enough not to do anything that would hurt your sister. But your mother is here too. And I'll be in my office. It won't take forever. Just about forty-five minutes. Then we can go to the amusement park just like we planned."

"And you'll still eat a hot dog?" Laura asked, "And a funnel cake?"

"Sure," Elijah replied. "Since you're doing this for me, whatever you want." He then left to make his conference call while Laura just stared at the baby in her arms.

"I don't know what to do with you," she confessed. "I've only ever had boys. I'm better with boys. You're like alien territory to me." She stared at the baby for a few more seconds before unconsciously sliding her tongue along her lower lip, an action that she was a bit surprised to see Amanda imitate. She made faces for a few minutes before her mother finally appeared and picked Amanda up. "Sorry about that," she said. "I was a bit busy."

"Oh, you don't have to be sorry," Laura assured her. "She's kinda cute, I guess."

"Well, good," Selina nodded. "I'm glad you think that."

"But at the same time," Laura continued, "it's very strange cause I never had a girl baby. You'd think it would be easy cause I'm a girl and she's a girl, but it's not."

"Oh, I know," Selina agreed. "The change between what Gregory needed as a baby and what you needed was jarring."

"Let me guess," Laura smiled. "I was needier."

"Well, yeah, but it's not like that bothered your father at all," Selina said. "He rather enjoyed it, just like he's doing with Amanda."

"Well, let's hope for her sake that she doesn't turn into an Annaliese and is like me or Margaret instead," Laura smiled. "What do _you_ think she'll be like?"

"I don't know," Selina shrugged. "Probably wild and crazy cause it seems like that's the pattern with you kids: every time there's a calm kid, a wild one comes after, and I think we can all say Ethan was a calm one."

"Poor Amanda," Laura told her sister. "Use all the time you have to bond with Dad now because some day, he'll consider you a challenge."

"Who will?" Elijah asked as he came into the living room.

"You," Selina told him. "We've thought about the personality patterns of our children, and if the pattern holds true, Amanda will be a wild one."

"But I'm prepared this time, I think," Elijah replied. "It's not gonna bother me."

"Oh, we'll see," Selina grinned.

"You ready to go now?" Laura asked, handing her sister back to her mother. "Let's do it."

"All right," Elijah agreed and grabbed his keys out of his pocket. "Let's go."

* * *

"After the encounter with your friend, I had no idea you'd want to come somewhere with me," Eli told Rebecca, his voice bitter as they drove to his brother Charlie's house for dinner a few days after he'd found her in bed with the guy from the bar. "What made you change your mind?"

"The fact that I had no idea you had a rich brother," Rebecca answered. "I really wanna meet him. How did he get all his money?"

"Something with stationary, I think," Eli replied with a shrug. "And his wife manages some fashion magazine."

"Really?" Rebecca asked, her eyes wide. "Which one?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Eli asked. "I've never read a fashion magazine in my life."

"So you're saying you only dress as nice as you do cause you got blessed with good fashion sense?" Rebecca wanted to know.

"Well, yeah," Eli nodded. "You've never met my grandpa, have you?"

"No," Rebecca shook her head. "Are you saying that I get to?"

"No," Eli shook his head. "You made sure you never would when I found you with that guy after I _assured_ you that nothing would happen between Louisa and me. Hell, the only reason why you're here now is that Charlie had heard about you and wanted to see you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have brought you at all."

He then went silent despite Rebecca's attempts to try and engage him in conversation, and after parking in the driveway of Charlie's house, got out of the car and strode toward the front door without helping Rebecca out or waiting for her to join him. This surprised Rebecca so much that Eli had already gone inside before she realized that she better get out of the car if she didn't want to stay there all night.

When she got to the door, and was greeted by Eli's brother, Eli told him, "See? I told you she'd stay in the car until it finally dawned on her that I wouldn't be back to help her out. You owe me five bucks."

"You are _such_ a child," Rebecca scowled, elbowing him aside as she made her way into the house and searched for a drink. She found it, along with Charlie's wife Elizabeth, in the kitchen.

"Can I get you a drink?" Elizabeth asked.

"There's no need," Rebecca replied and zapped up an open bottle and taking a huge swig. "I can serve myself, thanks."

"Ah, I can recognize drinking like that," Elizabeth told her knowingly. "I've had moments like that with Charlie myself. You and Eli having a fight?"

"I guess you could say that," Rebecca replied. "But I don't know what his problem is. I didn't even do anything wrong."

"Well we still have some time before dinner," Elizabeth pointed out. "Wanna come and look at all my shoes? Hell, if we're the same size, I'll even give you a few pairs if you'd like. I get them for free all the time and Charlie is always saying I need to sort out my closets."

Rebecca stared at Elizabeth for a long moment and then reached out to pinch her as they made their way to Elizabeth's closet.

"What did you do that for?" Elizabeth wanted to know as she rubbed her arm.

"Sorry," Rebecca apologized, pushing some of her blonde hair out of her face. "I just wanted to make sure you were real or something. You know, as long as you're offering, I wouldn't mind some new shoes. Eli's always telling me that I need to be thriftier, so I haven't had anything new in a while."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Elizabeth empathized, putting a hand on her am. "My dad did that with my mom once, and she had to get a job to afford all the stuff she wanted to buy. There were fewer trips to the mall after that, let me tell you. Oh, and I can get you clothes too. Designer."

"Well, damn!" Rebecca shouted happily as she hugged Elizabeth. "I think I just made a new friend! I mean, technically, I'm a witch and can zap up whatever I want, but what's zapped up is never as good as what can be bought in a store. Don't you agree?"

"I do," Elizabeth nodded. "And I'll introduce you to my mom, too."

"That'll probably tick off Eli cause he hates me now and doesn't want me to have more to do with his family than is strictly necessary, but if you and I are friends because we decided it, how's that his business, and who the hell cares if it upsets him?" Rebecca said. "I would _love_ to meet your mom."

"Sounds good," Elizabeth replied. "I'll tell her all about you and call you up with a date, if that's all right."

"Yeah, sure," Rebecca nodded. "Perfect."

* * *

By the time they'd finished going through Elizabeth's shoe collection and Rebecca had taken a few pairs for herself at Elizabeth's insistence, they were called down to dinner, but instead of sitting by their husbands, they sat next to each other, whispering things and giving Eli and Charlie sneaky, smug looks.

"Is it just me," Eli whispered to his brother as he watched the pair of women, blonde haired Rebecca and brunette Elizabeth across the table. "Or are you filled with a sense of unease too?"

"A little bit," Charlie whispered back. "But try not to show it. They can smell fear."

"What are you boys talking about?" Elizabeth asked.

"Oh, nothing," Charlie replied easily. "Just how pretty you two are."

"Flatterer," Rebecca smiled.

"He's always been able to think on his feet," Elizabeth agreed.

"Can we just eat?" Eli wanted to know. "And talk about normal things like food and the weather instead of whatever you two are talking about? I would feel more secure if I was in on the conversation."

"Oh, well," Rebecca put on hand to her chest. "Heaven forbid you be uncomfortable by my doing things and bonding with people when you have no part of it. Let's just do whatever we have to so _you _won't be uncomfortable."

It was then that Elizabeth grabbed her arm. "You know, I know a really good restaurant a couple of miles from here. Great Italian food. You wanna go instead of eating here?"

"Sure!" Rebecca said. "Let's go!" They then got up and left, leaving Charlie and Eli eating alone and staring at each other, afraid for what might happen.


	13. The Butcher And Baker

"Now are you _positive_ that purses and clothes zapped up by magic aren't as good as what you buy in a store?" Katherine asked. "Why? Cause if I could zap up whatever I wanted, I wouldn't waste time at the store."

"I asked my mom once and she said that if witches and warlocks would be allowed to zap up real designer things, there's a chance they could end up in the human market, and it could alert people to the fact that magical people exist or something like that," Rebecca replied. "At least I _think_ that's the reason. My memory on the subject is kind of fuzzy." She stared at Katherine and Elizabeth with their arms full of designer clothes and said, "Are you gonna have enough money to pay for that?"

"Oh, we never pay," Elizabeth replied, her voice low. "Compulsion is a very handy tool for the vampire who's a skilled shopper. Just don't mention that we're doing it to my dad cause it upsets him."

"All right, I won't," Rebecca promised. Then she got an _evil_ idea. She took all the purchases that she'd bought, used a spell to make them invisible, then made it seem like she hadn't bought anything at all (and momentarily disabling the alarms with her magic just in case.)

"Wow," Elizabeth said in amazement when they were out of the store and in the parking lot. "I'm impressed."

"Me too," Rebecca replied. "You know, that's the first time I thought to do that."

"Well, you met up with us just in time, then," Katherine said as she took Rebecca's arm and steered her toward the car. "What do you say we go and get jewelry next?"

"I don't know," Rebecca paused. "Should we _really_ press our luck so much the first time out?"

"Of course!" Katherine cried. "Between our compulsion and your making everything invisible and disabling alarms with your magic, what could possibly go wrong?"

"I wish you hadn't said that," Rebecca sighed. "Once someone says that, it's karma's turn to kick you in the ass."

"Only if you're superstitious," Katherine replied with a less than subtle smirk. "And why should you be when you have all the power in the world?"

"I don't know," Rebecca shook her head. "Sorry. I've been under my mother's thumb for years, so I'm kind of new to the whole 'I can get whatever I want' thing. Mostly what Mom wanted me to focus on was getting married. She said that no self-respecting warlock would marry a witch who reveled in their power, and that since there are fewer warlocks around, I couldn't really afford to be picky. Of course Mom never followed her own rules. Not really."

"And did a warlock marry her?" Katherine asked, getting into the car along with Elizabeth and waiting for Rebecca to come around to the other side and get in.

"No, they didn't," Rebecca shook her head. "Not after Mom said 'Hell with it' and started using her powers as much as she could, anyway. But she has a husband now. He's a vampire. His name's Mikael."

"But that's my grandfather's name!" Elizabeth cried. "Well, great-grandfather anyway. How fun!"

"Yeah, my mom seems to be having a good time," Rebecca agreed.

"So, what's the decision?" Katherine asked. "Are we gonna go get ourselves some jewelry to go with our outfits, or not?"

"I don't see why we shouldn't if we can get away with it," Rebecca shrugged. "Let's go!"

Katherine and Elizabeth cheered at this news, grateful that for once, they wouldn't have to show Gregory and Charlie their receipts from the malls and be grilled about their purchases, cause it would be like they never went in the first place. (Well, except for the actual purchases. But there would be a way to hide those so that Gregory and Charlie wouldn't know they were around and could later be called gifts whenever Katherine or Elizabeth decided to wear them.)

* * *

"Did your coming with me to my family reunion ruin things with your girlfriend?" Louisa asked Eli when she realized that he was taking her to his parents' house for the first time since he and Rebecca had broken up instead of his and Rebecca's cozy home. "That wasn't my intention when I asked you to come with me."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Eli replied, brushing her sentiments aside. "I mean, you're sweet to say something, but Rebecca was so high maintenance that we probably would have broken up soon anyway. You're _much _better to be around than she is."

"You think so?" Louisa asked, flushing a little. "I would think that after a woman like her, I'd be a bit dull."

"Don't talk about yourself that way," Eli replied. "If everyone in the world was like Rebecca, things would be so…_bad_. If I didn't wanna be with you, I wouldn't be. But I am. Would you remember that?"

"Sure," Louisa nodded. "Okay."

* * *

When they reached Laura and Edward's, and Eli brought Louisa inside, Laura gave her a warm smile and a handshake, but when she went to the bathroom, stared at her son. "You brought a human here?" She asked.

"Yeah, what's the problem?" Eli wanted to know. "Since when were we the sort of family that hated humans?"

"It just makes me a little nervous, bringing humans around," Laura replied. "I mean, when Elizabeth was human and she was with Charlie, we had to take her to the hospital so many times because Charlie hurt her. He didn't mean to, but he did. And this girl you brought doesn't seem like the sort to handle belonging in our family very well."

"Would you relax?" Eli requested. "We're just dating until Rebecca comes back to her senses. Then, Louisa will be free to date a nice human boy."

Laura sighed. "Well, all right," she told him. "But I still don't like this. I just _know_ something's gonna go horribly wrong and that poor girl will be scarred for life."

"It's nice to know you trust me," Eli scoffed. "Nothing bad will happen, I swear. It's only if you keep being nervous like you are that something will."

"Okay," Laura agreed. "I'll be calm. I swear."

Then Louisa came out of the bathroom and looked around. "This is a very nice house you have," she complimented.

"Thank you," Laura replied. "The upstairs is my husband's doing. He likes really solid wood furniture and stuff like that. My own little piece of heaven is downstairs. It's my salon."

"Oh, you're a stylist?" Louisa asked. "You know, I've always wanted to dye my hair but my parents never let me. They're very strict about stuff like that."

"Well, I have some dye that just washes out when you wash your hair," Laura replied. "You could have a taste of what the color is like, we'll wash it out before you go, and your parents will be none the wiser."

Louisa's jaw dropped a little. "Are you serious? You can do that?"

"Of course," Laura nodded. "You wanna do it now?"

"Sure, thanks," Louisa replied. "If you're not busy with something else."

"Oh, no," Laura shook her head, suddenly feeling much more at ease with the girl. "Let's do it." She and Louisa went downstairs and then Edward strode in, putting a hand on Eli's shoulder. "So…how's your mother doing with that Louisa?" He asked. "Do I need to do any sort of damage control?"

"I thought you'd have to," Eli admitted. "But once she said that she'd always wanted to dye her hair, Mom offered to put that dye in that just washes out so she could see what it would look like. I think they're friends now." He paused. "Are you nervous about Louisa, Dad?"

"No," Edward shook his head. "I trust that you'll be able to conduct yourself in a careful manner around her and not reveal anything that she wouldn't be able to handle."

"Good, you trust me," Eli said with relief. "It's good _someone_ does."

"I think your mother deserves a bit of a break," Edward told him. "Your grandparents having that new little girl really threw her for a loop and I think she's just starting to recover from it."

"It really surprised me that upset her so much," Eli said. "I would have thought she'd welcome the new kid with open arms."

"I thought that too, but once your grandfather ignored her calls, _that's_ when it became a problem," Edward sighed. "Cause if there's one thing your mom doesn't like, it's being ignored."

* * *

Elijah came back after a long day at school and called out for Selina. He heard nothing, hung up his coat on the coat rack, and went looking. He didn't have to look far. Both she and Amanda were asleep on the living room carpet, Amanda on her back, Selina on her stomach beside her with one hand on her belly.

Elijah stood and smiled down at them for a second before picking up Amanda (who stayed asleep), putting her in her crib, and then coming back to take Selina to bed. But she was awake by the time he got back to the living room.

"I think I fell asleep," she said and yawned. "Where's Amanda? Did you take her to her room?"

"I did," Elijah nodded. "Would you like me to take you to ours?"

"No, I'm fine," Selina shook her head. "The nap did me some good."

"I was talking with the other teachers at school and somehow, the conversation turned to your bakeries," Elijah said. "We're still working on getting the school fixed up, so they wondered if you'd be interested in helping with a bake sale? Or doing some classes for the kids? I think learning how to cook is a very important skill, don't you? If you're worried about things here, perhaps I could stay home on the days you're teaching."

"Huh," Selina nodded. "What an interesting thought. I'll have to do some yoga type deep breathing beforehand, though, cause if you try and convince me that there won't be any smarmy boys who look me in the eye while I'm teaching (or even before) and say, 'I don't need to learn this cause I'll just have my wife do it', I'm not gonna believe you."

"And you can handle that, right?" Elijah asked. "I don't have to worry about you murdering any students, even if you feel they deserve it?"

"No, I won't," Selina promised. "It'll be hard, but I'll try and restrain myself."

* * *

Finally, the day of her first class came. She went into the room early, set everything up, and while she was waiting for the students to arrive, made a conscious decision to warn everyone how things would play out in her class ahead of time so there wouldn't be any bloodshed, especially since the class, which was something akin to a lab practical, was two hours, about twice as long as a regular class.

So when everyone was at their desks waiting to be paired up before starting on their first project, Selina sat down in front of them all, and said, "Before we start the lesson, I want to make one thing clear: cooking is a very important skill that everyone needs to learn, even boys. Those of you who feel you don't have to because you can just make your wife do it for you are the ones who need it the most because it's that sort of attitude that will send women running as far away from you as possible. And _if_ you have that kind of attitude, not only will you have to cook a dish by yourself and be graded incomplete for the day, you'll also be on dish clean up. Am I clear?"

The boys were still looking at her with smirks on their faces (except for King who knew better), so she took some pictures out of her purse and began passing them around. Each one showed a man horribly murdered. "You wanna know about these pictures?" She asked. "Well, since many of you aren't descended from vampires, I'll tell you. One of the most notorious vampires to ever exist was a woman people called Lonely Heart. She killed in pairs, implemented torture, and drained all the bodies, leaving just enough blood to write 'Til death do us part' or something like that on the walls. I can't remember _what_ it was that I wrote now. It was so long ago."

"Wait, _you_ did this?" One of the boys asked. They were all looking nervous now. King was smirking at their fear and gave Selina a wink.

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "I did. Every single man in those photos died because he pissed me off. I got out of control enough to catch the eye of King's father, but he never caught me. Now, I'm past the point where I'd get that angry, and none of you have to worry about _actually_ dying, but I just want to make it very clear that I won't tolerate any chauvinist bullshit in my class. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," the boys all said at once.

"Good," Selina smiled. "I knew that once the rules were clear we wouldn't have any trouble. Now, I've paired all of you up, and the pairs are on this sheet on the chalkboard, along with the station I want you to be at. The stations are labeled as well, so you don't have to actually recognize your partner cause you'll end up at the same place anyway, and the recipe you'll attempt to make is taped to your station, along with all the ingredients. Before you start cooking, I want you to be sure you wash your hands. I don't want anyone getting sick in here. And if you need any help, just ask politely and I'll be more than happy to assist you, especially when it comes time to work the oven. Don't worry if you don't get a good batch done today. For many of you, it's probably the first time you've done this, so even if they're burnt or mushy or doughy or whatever, you should be proud of what you accomplish."

She then sat down with a magazine in hand and waited for someone to ask for her help. She spent the rest of the class, she walked from station to station, checking everyone's progress. At the end of the hour, only two pairs had managed a perfect batch (one pair being made of two girls, the other, two boys), which was actually more than she'd expected.

"Good work today, everyone," she praised them all after they'd cleaned up and were putting away their equipment. "I'm very pleased I only had to put out one small fire today. Don't feel bad. It's what we have the fire extinguisher for. Now, I'll be back again next week. If you could look over some cookbooks and bring in a favorite recipe, that would be great. It's your homework, so don't forget!"

She did two more classes after that, and by the end of the day, she was drained. As she left her classroom, she found Alistair and Viktor waiting for her.

"So," Alistair said as they walked toward the double doors that led to the parking lot. "How was the first day?"

"Not bad," Selina said. "I didn't kill anyone. Some of the boys were skeptical at first, but once I laid down the law, we all got along splendidly. I think Elijah will be proud."

"So he's watching Amanda today?" Alistair wanted to know. "Is that the deal you two have worked out?"

"Yep, that's the deal," Selina nodded. "Thank you so much for allowing me to come and teach. I know it was cause of your influence."

"It's not a problem," Viktor said. "I really think that what you have to teach is something that kids need to learn, even if they're smug enough to think they don't."

"I know, right?" Selina asked. "That's what I've always thought. I've told all my sons that and they're reasonably competent in the kitchen."

"What about Elijah?" Viktor wanted to know.

"Well, he can do coffee and toast," Selina said. "It's something." When they got to her car, Viktor and Alistair bid her farewell and she headed toward home. Elijah called her _en route_ to congratulate her and even offered to get takeout to celebrate her first day on the job.

"Thanks," Selina replied. "Sounds good I wouldn't mind some sesame chicken and pot stickers."

* * *

When she reached home, she found Elijah in the living room with several large bags of food. "Where are the other thousand people who'll be eating with us?" Selina wanted to know.

"I know I went a little overboard," Elijah replied. "But so much of it sounded surprisingly good that I couldn't just pick one or two things." He pushed a bag close to her. "Your chicken and pot stickers are in there," he said, digging into some vegetable stir fry of his own. After Selina finished her food, she grabbed a blood bag and poured some of it into a container of white rice, which she then proceeded to eat with chopsticks.

"I know I shouldn't be disgusted by the sight of you eating blood-covered food, but I kind of am," Elijah replied.

"I know it looks gross, but it really isn't." Selina offered him the carton. "Here, try it."

"All right," Elijah replied and went to get himself a spoon. He ate a mouthful, swallowed, and nodded. "You know, that's really not so bad at all."

"See?" Selina smiled. "I told you. Was Amanda much trouble?"

"No," Elijah shook her head. "Not really. I read to her most of the day when I wasn't waiting for my phone to ring."

She put a hand on his. "So you think this teaching job of mine will work?"

"Yes," Elijah nodded. "Do you?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "I think it will be no trouble at all."


	14. Addicted To Love

"Why do you keep laughing?" Selina asked as she watched him sit with Amanda and chuckle to himself.

"Oh, nothing," Elijah smiled. "I was just thinking about the look on my father's face when I told him that Vivi's pregnant and King's the father. It wasn't funny when I said it, but now that I'm away from my father, I can laugh."

"Vivi's pregnant?" Selina repeated, her eyes widening. "Damn. Are we a fertile family or what?"

"Yes, I guess so," Elijah replied.

"Do you think I should go see if she needs help?" Selina wanted to know. "Or am I technically not supposed to know yet? I'll keep quiet if I'm not supposed to know."

"No, you won't," Elijah replied. "Don't even try to pretend."

"I won't confront Vivi, I promise," Selina swore. Elijah still looked like he didn't believe her, and that was his problem, not hers.

* * *

And true to her word, she said nothing to Vivi or King, and in fact it was _King_ who came to talk to her after class the next week. "I need to talk to you about something," he said, wiping his flour-covered hands on his jeans instead of using the sink. "It can wait till the end of the day. There's no rush."

"I have time if you do," Selina replied, figuring that she knew what he had to say, but wanting to give him a chance to say it. "What's the matter? Are you okay?"

"Vivi's pregnant," King breathed. "I'm the guy who got her that way, and as you can imagine, Dad's not too happy about it. Neither is Klaus and he's making Vivi and me live in his and Amy's attic now so he can keep an eye on me."

"Are you worried your dad's gonna kill you or something?" Selina wanted to know. "Cause if you think I can calm him down, you might be mistaken."

"I know, cause Dad still hates you," King nodded. "I'm just _waiting_ for a dagger in the chest, cause I know it's coming even though things are reasonably calm now. The fact that Dad's been gone for days just makes the wait worse."

"Think about my husband," Selina said to try and calm him down. "Your dad wanted much more for him than me, but he picked me anyway, and I'm not dead. Neither is he. You have nothing to worry about. And I'm sure wherever your dad is, he's fine."

"I hate to say that I'm not exactly eager to have him come back," King replied.

"You're preaching to the choir," Selina said dryly. "Want me to walk with you to your next class so we can keep talking?"

"Sure," King replied. "I'd love that."

* * *

"Oh, it's you!" Gregory said to Eli, his voice full of relief as his very calm and put together nephew came through the door. "You don't know how glad I am that is you and not Rebecca come for Katherine."

Eli gave his uncle a look of pity. "I'm so sorry," he said. "I probably shouldn't have let Rebecca out in the general public cause if anyone knows what sort of havoc she can wreak, it's me. She gave me a call yesterday, taking all this time to brag about the sort of things she did with Elizabeth and Aunt Katherine, so I figured you could use some support. Even my brother is wary of her."

"What do you mean when you say you shouldn't have let her out in the general public?" Gregory wanted to know.

"I was in love with her," Eli replied. "Then she got kidnapped and had a personality change. I thought I could fix her, but then we split up cause I couldn't handle it anymore."

"I know what that's like," Gregory replied. They both sat down with a drink and when the girls came home, Rebecca saw Eli and froze, causing Katherine and Elizabeth to bump into her.

"What's wrong with you?" Elizabeth cried.

"Nothing," Rebecca replied, glaring at Eli. "He's not worth my time. Not anymore." She then headed into the bathroom while Elizabeth frowned at her brother in law. "What the hell did you do to her?" She asked.

"Is that what she's been telling you?" Eli wanted to know. "That I did something to her? Cause it's not true. I just decided that I wanted a bit more from our relationship than she was willing to give, so I broke it off with her and am seeing someone else. You can hardly call me a bad guy for being honest about my feelings."

"Well, you could have been more sensitive!" Elizabeth replied. "I think you ruined her!"

"_Rebecca_?" Eli asked, feeling stunned. "I doubt it. She's just trying to make me look bad. She seems perfectly fine. Did you just hear her say that I wasn't worth her time?"

Elizabeth scoffed. "Just stop saying things," she demanded. "It's clear you have no idea what you've done. I hope you lie awake in bed tonight and think about all the pain you've caused." Then she waited for Rebecca to emerge and took her friend away while Katherine stayed behind to talk to Gregory.

"Do you feel as hostile as our daughter about this whole situation?" He asked her.

"No," Katherine shook her head. "Personally, I think Eli did the right thing."

"Thank you!" Eli replied. "It's nice that someone believes me and doesn't think I'm a terrible, evil person."

"Well, I would say I was in Rebecca's place once," Katherine said. "It took me a very long time to be interested in any sort of real commitment, and personally I don't know why Rebecca isn't more grateful toward you for not requiring her to commit before she's ready."

"So how about you talk to Elizabeth, then?" Gregory wanted to know. "She's getting involved in something that should only be between Eli and Rebecca, and just making things worse."

"I will," Katherine nodded. "I don't know if she'll listen, but I'll give it a shot, anyway." She then patted Eli on the shoulder and said, "Good luck," before heading to her and Gregory's bedroom to shower and change her clothes before going out again.

* * *

At first, Eli was very comfortable with the decision that he'd made to end things with Rebecca and be with Louisa instead, but then, he began having second thoughts. While things with Louisa were nice and comfortable, he couldn't deny that he missed the physicality that his relationship with Rebecca had had. He was able to hold off those feelings until one day he and Louisa went on a picnic in the park and were surrounded by couples kissing, and in some cases, being close to going beyond that on their red and white checked picnic blankets.

Louisa noticed this and put her hand on Eli's arm with a smile as he tried to calm down the arousal he was feeling from all the lust in the air. "I bet you wish you were kissing someone like all these other people," she said. "But thank you for understanding why I can't."

"You can't even_ kiss?"_ Eli asked in amazement. "Are you sure?"

"Oh, I'm not opposed to kissing in general," Louisa replied. "But it's just…I know you and Rebecca had a sexual relationship, and it's been a while since you've been with her, so I'm afraid that if you and I kiss, things will end up going a lot further than I want them to. Please don't be mad. I don't want to hurt your feelings."

"You didn't," Eli replied. "You probably have made the right choice." He ran his fingers through his hair and then opened the picnic basket. "Can I offer you a sandwich?" He asked. "I brought ham and turkey."

"Thank you," Louisa smiled and began rooting around in the basket. "I'd love one."

* * *

But despite the good time he'd had with her, he couldn't help pondering later that night about what she'd said regarding why she refused to kiss him: because she was afraid that since he was so used to sex, kissing her would make him feel like he needed to go farther than she wanted to. Part of him thought that was preposterous. He thought that he was gentleman enough not to make a girl do something like have sex against her will, but he couldn't deny that he'd sort of felt jealous about all the couples that were kissing. How they'd made him feel things that couldn't be sated because he wasn't allowed to kiss Louisa. Maybe that meant she was right. He sat up in bed realizing that there was only one way to fix this, as much as he didn't like the idea: he had to go see Rebecca. Cursing himself for being so weak, he got out of bed, looked around on the internet for her address (cause he was sure she wasn't still at their house in the woods anymore), and then set out for her house.

* * *

When he arrived at the white, two level house with columns on either side of the door, Eli parked in the street and got out, looking around. Seeing that no one was home, he jimmied the lock on the door and made his way inside, waiting for Rebecca and her boyfriend to return.

It took a short wait, but when he heard Rebecca's giggles, that was when Eli made his move. Grabbing a poker from beside the fireplace, he rushed the pair by the door and took out Rebecca's boyfriend before grabbing her.

"Hey!" She cried. "What in the world is going on here?" With a swift kick to Eli's groin, she burst out of his grip and ran for the phone, preparing to call the police just as Eli turned the lights on.

"It's okay, Rebecca," he said, wincing as she put the phone down and then looked up. "It's only me. I thought you would appreciate a grand gesture, but apparently not."

Rebecca glared. "And just what do you think you're doing here?" She demanded. "I told you that I didn't want to see you. I'm seeing someone else."

"I know," he said. "And I know I made a big deal about me and Louisa that wasn't such a good idea, but now I've changed my mind."

Rebecca put her hands on her hips. "And I'm supposed to just jump in your arms now that you've come all the way over here, broken into my house during the night, and scared me half to death? Wow, Eli. You sure know how to woo a lady."

"I messed up about Louisa, and I'm sorry!" Eli yelled, his voice cracking a little. "I thought I could come over here and propose a reconciliation, but obviously, I was wrong. Sorry, I'm gonna go now." He made his way toward the door and as she watched him go, Rebecca sighed. "No, you can stay," she said. "My boyfriend's not exactly in the right state to be able to perform properly and _someone_ has to take his place." She zapped the poor man to the hospital as Eli took her in his arms, kissed her deeply, and then picked her up to take her to bed. They got in bed and quickly undressed. Eli didn't waste a lot of time with foreplay, but pinned Rebecca's hands at her sides as he pushed his way into her and swallowed her cry with a kiss. "Miss me?" He whispered.

"Don't talk," she whispered back with a smile, trying to control her heavy breathing. "You have better things to do."


	15. Lessons From Lonely Heart

Despite the fact that he'd told himself he'd only go to see Rebecca once, Eli went a few more times and was very upset with himself every time he reached her doorway and rang the bell.

"I thought you said we were broken up and that I was a despicable person," Rebecca smirked when she opened the door for the third time and saw him. "What brings you back here again and again and again?"

"I don't know," Eli shot back. "I just keep having this really annoying urge. You didn't put some sort of spell on me to control my mind, did you?"

"Oh, honey," Rebecca replied, her voice full of a mix of pity and snark. "I don't need to put a spell on you for you to be insanely in love with me. Why don't you just admit it to yourself already?"

"I won't!" Eli said resolutely.

"So then why are you here?" Rebecca wanted to know. "And wouldn't you be more comfortable talking inside?"

"No," Eli replied. "I'll stay out here on the step where it's safe. I just came to tell you that I'm not gonna play your games anymore."

"Would you be more comfortable making love to me in neutral territory?" Rebecca asked, playing with his hair. "I'm sure no one has taken over our little cottage in the woods."

"Fine," Eli replied. "Whatever."

"Really?" Rebecca asked in surprise as they headed to his car and got inside, backing down the driveway and turning into the street. "I wasn't really expecting you to agree with that. I was teasing."

Eli scoffed. "You bet you were," he replied. "Now let's just get in the car, go to the cabin, and get this over with so I can work through my feelings of shame."

"You know, I don't see why you have to be so difficult about something you obviously enjoy," Rebecca said, her voice full of reason. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to be close to someone."

"If they treat you like crap there is!" Eli replied. "And I already told you that if I'm gonna be with you, I need a commitment, and we both know you're not gonna do that."

"So say 'screw you' to the commitment and make it easier on both of us," Rebecca suggested. "After all, you're still just a kid. Why are you in such a rush for commitment? Let yourself have a little fun like every other boy!"

"I'm not_ like_ every other boy," Eli replied through his teeth.

"Well, la-di-da," Rebecca mocked him. "Aren't you special? Do you think you're better than everyone else too?"

"Of course not," Eli replied. "I'm just telling you what I want and why I am the way I am about us having sex."

"No, you like the sex," Rebecca argued. "You just don't want to admit it."

Eli scoffed, his knuckles white on the wheel as he tried not to meet her eyes. "Let's just not talk anymore, okay? You give me a headache every time you open your mouth."

Rebecca smiled wickedly. "But I bet it goes away once I open my legs!"

"What did I say about not talking?" Eli shouted, his voice full of exasperation as his cheeks turned a deep red.

Rebecca hushed then, and to Eli's relief, didn't say another word until they reached the cabin. He parked the car, they got out, he pulled her inside, and then, without wasting time, ripped off her clothes after pushing her against a wall, his lips covering hers as she helped him out of his shirt, unzipped his pants, and rubbed him gently.

"Oh, god, yes!" Rebecca cried as he nibbled her ear and a deep growl issued from his throat. "See? Isn't this better?"

"You're going to be the death of me!" He cried. Then, as she let out a giggle, he picked her up, put her over his shoulder, then tossed her on the mattress with a bounce before following her, and looming over her prone body with a grin.

"What are you gonna do to me?" She asked. "Come on, Eli. Don't be shy," she reached up and stroked his cheek, some stray sparks of magic coming out of her fingers but luckily doing nothing to him.

Eli was breathing heavily now as he glanced over her body, feeling himself become more and more aroused by the minute. Finally, he managed to get out "Could you do something a little different this time?"

"Sure," Rebecca nodded. "What?"

"What would you look like with dark hair?" He wanted to know. "I just want to see real quick."

"Anything else while I'm at it?" Rebecca wanted to know, after turning herself into a brunette. "Would you like me to be a French maid?" She zapped the uniform and Eli shook his head. "Or a naughty teacher?" She zapped again. "Or how about…leather?"

This last transformation got Eli's attention a little bit, but it still wasn't enough. Then, with one more zap, Rebecca said, as she lay bare before him again, "Let's play a little game: I've put a tattoo somewhere on my body. You have to find it by whatever means necessary." She then grinned wickedly. "Is that fun enough for you?"

"Yep!" Eli nodded, running his hands and lips over every inch of her warm, pale skin as he hunted for that elusive tattoo. It wasn't on the front of her. Or the back. But when he re parted her legs, he noticed it, a little red heart on her inner thigh. "I should have known," he whispered, kissing the image before slipping his tongue inside her and swirling it around. She let out gasp, her hand reached down to stroke his hair while he did his work, and then, with a cry, she finally came. "Oh, you naughty boy," she whispered as he resurfaced, looking nowhere near as serious or innocent as he had when he'd entered the cabin, his dark hair ruffled and his mouth smirking. "See, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

* * *

"Don't be offended by the question I'm about to ask you," Elijah told Selina one night as she continued to work on transcribing his journals, a project that she'd known from the beginning would take forever. "But I wondered if you remembered when our anniversary actually was."

"Our first one or our second one?" Selina asked.

"Either," Elijah shrugged and kissed her neck.

"Nope, sorry," Selina shook her head, moving her hair out of the way for the second kiss. "You'd think I would, but it's just been so long since we married that I can't." She giggled as his lips tickled her skin.

"Well, then we have two choices," Elijah said. "One, we actually go through all the business of getting remarried, and buy Amanda a darling little dress to wear for pictures, or two, we just pick today as our anniversary and there's no pomp at all."

"If those are the options, you know which one I'd prefer," Selina replied. "Although, perhaps we could compromise." She quickly ran to her and Elijah's room, slipped on a white dress and dressed up Amanda, bringing her into the living room, smiling as she said (after asking Elijah to zip her up), "do you take me to be your wife as long as we shall live?"

Elijah straightened his tie and nodded. "I do. And do you take me to be your husband as long as we live?"

"Of course I do," Selina nodded. "Happy anniversary?"

"Yes," Elijah nodded and hugged his wife and daughter. "Happy anniversary."

Then, later that night as Selina and Elijah prepared for bed, Elijah asked her something he'd been meaning to since her first class. "Why did you feel the need to tell the kids about Lonely Heart? That's not really something they need to know."

"Well, I thought it would keep the boys in line if they knew I had been capable of murder once," Selina replied. "I did it for my own sanity and the good of the class, that's all!" She paused. "Why?"

"Cause they've been asking me if I knew anything about it ever since, and I'm gonna have to teach a whole lesson about it even though that's _not_ where we are in the curriculum." He gave her a pained look. "Why can't you just be the sort who teaches kids to bake cookies and leaves?"

"Well, I'm sorry," Selina replied. "I didn't realize when I did it that it would be a problem for you. But do you really think our new anniversary is the time for you to scold me?"

Elijah narrowed his eyes. "Fine," he said. "I'll scold you tomorrow."

* * *

But fortunately for her, he did no scolding the next morning. Amanda had had a difficult night and he'd volunteered to deal with it alone, something Selina had tried to object to, but had gotten nowhere with, even when she reminded him that he had to teach school in the morning. As a result, he practically fell asleep in his coffee, even though Selina gave him three or four glasses.

"Would you mind," he asked, yawning mid sentence. "Would you mind dropping Amanda off with Amy? I might need you to teach my class today. It shouldn't be hard since it's all about you."  
"Well, it's your own fault you're so tired," Selina scolded him gently. "I told you not to be up with Amanda all night when you had a class to teach, but you didn't listen to me."

"Yes, I know," Elijah replied. "But just do as I ask, please?"

So she grabbed Amanda and strapped her into the backseat of her car, taking the wheel herself while Elijah, in his less than awake state, was the passenger. They dropped Amanda off with Amy, and then drove to school.

"I'm gonna go check some things in my classroom before I come to yours," Selina told him. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"Yes," Elijah nodded. "You go, and I'll manage until you come back."

"All right," Selina replied skeptically. "I hope so."

* * *

"Well, isn't _this_ a pleasant surprise?" Elijah remarked on the first day in a while that he noticed Vivi coming into class. "And how are you, my dear?"

"As well as can be expected," Vivi nodded. "Thanks for asking." She put down her bag, opened it, and then took out a few papers. "Here's the latest batch of work I finished," she said.

"Well, thank you," Elijah replied. "Are you understanding all of it? Or would you like to have a tutor to help you catch up? Oh, and any time you need to run to the bathroom, go ahead. Do you need to now? I can wait to start class until you come back."

"No, I'm good," Vivi replied. "Now, I got your message that we're learning about Lonely Heart today, even though we're not even close to being in that time yet. When's Selina gonna be here?"

"Soon," Elijah replied. "She's just checking on some things for her class tomorrow. And I'm going to apologize right now and warn you that you will probably hear things about your father that might shock and scar you. But that's what happens when my wife shows pictures of mutilated bodies in cooking class and everyone wants to know why she did that."

"That doesn't bother me," Vivi shook her head. "Tell me all the dirt you can. I can't wait to hear." She sat down in her front row seat, gave him an almost evil grin and he thought to himself that he might have liked it better when she was gone.

When Selina returned, Elijah told the class that she would be the one giving the Lonely Heart lesson because, well, she was Lonely Heart.

"Now, I'm not just gonna lecture," Selina told them. "I was thinking that you could ask me questions, and the answers would be what would make the discussion.

"Were those pictures you showed us real?" Asked a boy in the back row.

"Yes," Selina nodded. "A hundred percent. In fact, it was pictures like those that put King's father on my trail. An annoyingly persistent man he was. But that's what happens when he gets it into his head to murder someone."

At this point, everyone turned to stare at King. "Your dad _murders_ people for a living?" A shocked witch asked. "You know, we're much more civil in the magical world."

"Well, it's easier to cover up magic," King said dryly. "It's not as easy to cover up the tracks of a crazy, bloodthirsty vampire. And my dad's _good_. He's killed every single vampire he's felt he needed to. Except for our teacher, that is."

"What did he spare you for?" The boy next to King asked Selina.

"Oh, he didn't choose to spare me," Selina replied. "I got away. With help from his son here," Selina pounded on the desk with her hand, waking up Elijah who'd begun to snore gently. "What?" He asked. "What are we talking about?"

"How you helped me get out of Paris to spite your dad," Selina replied.

"Why did you do that?" King wanted to know. "Why didn't you just let Dad have her if she was killing so much that she endangered the entire vampire population?"

"Hey!" Selina said. "Whose side are you on anyway?"

"I helped her get away because as you know," Elijah told him patiently, "she's not a bad person. She was a good person going through a bad time, and she didn't deserve to die for that. And after I got her away from Father, she stopped killing. I really don't think I did anything wrong."

"And where does my father come into this?" Vivi wanted to know, trying to keep herself as engaged as possible so she wouldn't fall asleep like her uncle and miss what was being said.

"Your dad was my boyfriend at the time," Selina replied. "Actually, 'boyfriend' might be too generous a term, since we were never technically exclusive at that point. Although based on how he acted when I saw him again in '42, maybe he _wanted_ to be exclusive and just didn't tell me. Anyway, yeah…he encouraged my murdering as much as Elijah dissuaded me from it. Don't get me wrong, it was a horrible thing I did, murdering all those people, and it's a very dark period of my life that I can't even believe I went through some days, but I think…I think I needed it. I had a lot of things in me, lots of bad emotions that I'd repressed up until that point and somehow, they just had to come out. And when they did…there was Lonely Heart. But I don't want you kids getting any ideas about trying to copy me," she warned. "I was just damn lucky that I got away with what I did."

"But King's father won't come after _us_, will he?" Asked a frightened girl who was a prospective werewolf.

"No, he only goes after vampires," Selina assured her.

"Do you know about anyone who goes after werewolves?" Asked a boy in the front row with red hair.

"No," Selina shook her head. "It's easy to cover up werewolf shenanigans. And if you're a werewolf, denying your heritage is probably one of the most dangerous things you can do. It's what my mother's family did and it ruined all of them."

"You're a werewolf too?" Asked a shocked, burly boy who was definitely one also.

"Yep," Selina nodded. "I know you'd never believe it, but I am."

"Don't you _dare_ turn in class," Elijah said.

"I wasn't gonna," Selina replied. She looked at the clock and noticed that there wasn't much time left. "Any more Lonely Heart questions?" She wanted to know.

The class was silent so Selina turned to her husband. "Elijah, what do you say we let them out early today? It will give you time to have a little nap."

"Sure," Elijah replied, his head going on his desk again as she kids flowed out of the room. "Whatever."


	16. Taming Of The Shrews

Eli had just settled in for a quiet night with his books when he heard a knock at the door. "I'll get it!" He called to his parents, running to answer the summons. He opened the door and his jaw dropped when he saw Rebecca standing there in a purple cocktail dress. "H-hi," he got out. "You look beautiful. Wanna come in?"

"You mean you're not gonna ask me what I'm doing on your doorstep, completely uninvited, at this time of night?" She asked.

"Well, when it comes to you, I don't really ask questions," he replied. "I just enjoy."

"Seems reasonable enough," Rebecca grinned and stepped inside. "I just wondered, would you wanna come to a play with me? I was originally gonna go with my mom, but she and Mikael have things going on, and I figure it makes no sense for an extra ticket and dinner reservation to go to waste when you like that sort of stuff."

"Yeah, I do," Eli smiled and looked down at himself. He was dressed neatly, but still what he considered 'casual'. "Do I have time to go change quick?" He wanted to know, still processing that Rebecca had actually asked him out on a date.

"Sure," Rebecca nodded. "Go ahead."

"All right," Eli said. "I'll be back soon, I promise." He ran to his room and pulled a tux and shirt out of his closet, putting them on and then going to ask Rebecca to tie the purple tie that he'd picked to match her dress.

"My god," she said as she tied it. "Did you just pull this whole look out of your closet? That's not normal for someone your age. I know that when my son Robbie was a teenager, he refused to wear anything nice at all. I had to force him."

"Well, I like to look my best, you know," Eli shrugged. When his tie was tied, he offered her his arm, praying that she would be as civil as she was now for the rest of the night. "Shall we go?" He asked after leaving a note for his parents telling them that he'd gone out and would most likely not be back until morning.

"Yeah," Rebecca replied with a smile, showing flashing white teeth. "I think we shall."

* * *

When they reached the restaurant and were led to a table, Eli helped Rebecca with her chair before sitting down himself and picking up his menu.

"You don't need to feel like you have to order for me or anything like that," Rebecca told him.

"I know," he replied. "I think you're perfectly capable of ordering for yourself, so I won't try to butt in. What are you going to have?"

"I don't know," Rebecca shrugged as she turned to the meat offerings. "Lamb, maybe? Or veal? I can't decide." She paused. "What about you?"

"I'm actually not really hungry," he said. "I think I'll have a salad or something."

"You've, you know, _eaten_, right?" Rebecca wanted to know. "I mean, we don't have to worry about you snacking on a waiter or anything?"

"No, Rebecca!" Eli shook his head. "I was raised better than that! Give me _some_ credit, would you?"

"Well, all right," Rebecca went back to her menu. "I just wanted to check!"

Eventually they ordered a veal chop and a big Caesar salad along with a glass of red wine and a soda, and after eating, left the restaurant and made their way to the theater. They left the car with the valet, and then joined the throngs of well-dressed people going inside the building. Once they were inside, Eli noticed Rebecca was shivering. He took off his coat and gave it to her. "That probably feels better," he said.

"Thanks," she smiled. "I knew I should have worn a longer dress, but this one shows off my legs so well. Don't you think?"

"Yep," Eli nodded as she looked down for a moment, then back up to her eyes. "I think you're right!"

"So," she said, handing him a ticket. "What do you know about this play anyway?"

Eli looked it over. "Taming of the Shrew." He chuckled. "Well, it's Shakespeare, first of all."

Rebecca groaned. "You know, I never really liked him. I can't ever understand anything he writes cause the language is all weird!"

"How about I explain the plot to you so you at least know something of what's going on and don't annoy other people 'cause you're bored?" Eli offered.

"Fine," Rebecca replied. "So, what happens?"

"Well," Eli cleared his throat. "Basically, this girl named Bianca is the most popular girl in town, but her father won't let her marry until her older sister marries first. Only trouble is, her sister Katherina is really mean and drives away any prospective husbands with her terrible attitude. So two of her sisters' suitors, Hortensio and Gremio, recruit this guy named Petruchio, who's kind of a cad, to go after Katherina so they can be free to court Bianca, although they _also_ have competition in _another _man named Lucentio who wants to marry Bianca as well (and is acting as her tutor behind her father's back.) Basically, all these men want Bianca, and the play is about them getting a man for her sister so she can finally marry, and Bianca can too."

"Seriously?" Rebecca made a face. "I think I hate Bianca already. I mean, who can relate to a character that's supposedly so perfect that a million guys fall for her at once?"

Eli smiled knowingly. "So you like Katherina, then?"

"Yeah," Rebecca nodded. "I think I do."

* * *

Despite her reassurances that she would behave, Eli was still a little worried, but he hoped that having a character she liked would make it easier for her to get into the story. He spent the play with half his attention on the stage and half of it on her just in case she needed any more help understanding what was going on, but she seemed all right, and even laughed occasionally as she held his hand.

At intermission, they went into the lobby for a drink and Rebecca asked, "so, how am I doing? Are you having a good night?"

"Yeah," Eli nodded. "I am. Thanks for asking me to come with you."

"You're welcome," Rebecca replied. Eli then gave her a kiss on the cheek and she actually blushed a little

"Are you okay?" Eli asked her.

"Yeah," Rebecca nodded. "I'm fine. That was nice."

They then headed back into the theater to finish up the play, and when it was over and they got into the car, Eli asked, "So, would you just like me to take you home? Or is there anything else you wanna do?"

"Well," Rebecca smiled. "I was thinking that since I was so good tonight, maybe we could go back to the cabin and play another game of 'find the tattoo'? That was fun when we played it last time."

"What about your boyfriend?" Eli asked. "Won't he be wondering where you are?"

"Oh, we're not together anymore," Rebecca replied. "Apparently, getting hit over the head by another man sort of made him lose faith in us, so he dumped me."

"Well, that's his loss," Eli replied. "If you want to go to the cabin, I have no problem with that."

So they sped over to the cabin, got out of their evening wear, Rebecca zapped the tattoo on again (it was in a much more visible spot on her butt this time, but that didn't stop Eli from being leisurely with the search, even when he saw it). Then he turned Rebecca onto her stomach again and kissed her as she threw her arms around his neck, holding on tight as he pushed into her again and again until she felt languid in his arms and shut her eyes. Eli then moved her hair off her face, kissed her forehead and fell asleep beside her.

* * *

Three months later, Selina and Elijah were dealing with an eight-month-old daughter who wasn't so easy to get along with anymore. Her teeth coming in had made the once docile Amanda a very ornery child with brown hair that didn't tame easily and deep blue eyes that were full of trouble all the time. Well, not _all_ the time, but in the presence of one person in particular.

She and Selina were playing in the living room when the doorbell rang. Elijah was just getting ready to shower and called for Selina to answer the door. "It's Viktor!" He said. "He's got papers for me to sign regarding a field trip I'm gonna take the students on!"

"All right!" Selina replied, then gave little Amanda a stern look. "You stay," she commanded. "I know what you do to poor Viktor."

But at the sounds of his name, Amanda began crawling at a brisk pace toward the door, moving so fast that Selina nearly tripped over her. She opened the door and let Viktor in. He looked down at Amanda, who wore an innocent expression. He picked her up, and then let out a cry and tried not to drop her as the formerly sweet baby bit his finger. Hard.

"Sorry," Selina apologized. She tried to take her back, but Amanda refused to be taken and in fact threw a fit as her mother pulled at her.

"Probably wants to spend more time with her favorite teething ring," Viktor replied dryly.

"Again," Selina said, finally succeeding in pulling Amanda out of Viktor's grip as she screamed until her face went red. "I'm very sorry about this. There's just something about you that makes her want to misbehave."

Viktor then had a horrible image of her being in school with him. She'd probably be the type that would leave tacks on chairs and do spit balls.

"Here," Selina told her daughter, sitting her down when she'd finally stopped screaming and feeding her some mashed up peas. Viktor sat next to them and after Selina had Amanda eat a spoonful, the little girl stopped crying, turned her head toward Viktor and spat green goo all over his dress shirt. He then stood up and said, "I think I'll go wait for Elijah in another room, if that's all right with you."

"Yeah, sure," Selina nodded. "I understand. Sorry!" She gave her daughter a look of exasperation and Amanda responded by giving her a toothy grin in return.

"You think you're so smart," Selina told her. "But I bet there's gonna be a time in your life where you'll _really_ wanna be nice to that man, just like you're nice to your daddy and me."

A while later, Elijah and Viktor emerged and Elijah took Amanda in his arms as Viktor sped out the door as fast his legs could carry him. "Did you spit all over Viktor's shirt?" Elijah asked his daughter. "That wasn't a very nice thing to do!"

"Don't try lecturing her," Selina sighed. "I did that already. It doesn't work. I know she's just a baby, but I honestly believe she likes torturing Viktor on purpose. It's like raising Roxie again, only Amanda's mean to Viktor and not me!"

"Well, as you told me before you agreed to get pregnant with her, we have to love our children, however they act," Elijah replied. He then carried her off to her room to read to her before her nap while Selina sat down to write Viktor the latest in a series of apology notes for Amanda's behavior. Whether the man was brave or foolish for coming back repeatedly despite how he knew Amanda would respond to him, Selina didn't know, but she fervently hoped that by the time Amanda was in school, she'd know the things to do to get on Viktor's _good_ side, not his bad one.


	17. Up Against The Forces Of Nature

"I realize that you're probably tired of hearing about your new niece," Gwen told Rebecca. "So I think I'm going to ask you about your own life. Any boyfriends I need to meet?"

"Yeah, Mom," Robbie said with a vicious smirk. "Tell Grandma about that kid you've been running off with to that shack in the woods!"

Gwen's jaw dropped. "Rebecca, my god! Have some self-control! I knew you were seeing him, but that's just too much!"

"It's not as bad as my incredibly childish son makes it seem," Rebecca replied, glaring at Robbie. "Eli's no trouble. He's a good person, and I'm lucky to be dating him!"

"So you'd have no trouble letting me meet him?" Gwen wanted to know. "Cause I think if you're meeting a young man for liaisons in the woods, the least you could do is introduce him to your mother."

"You've talked to Eli," Rebecca replied. "It's not like he's a stranger! He's a relative of Mikael's."

"Oh, that makes me feel _so_ much better," Gwen replied. "I wanna meet him. And if you want there to be any hope for this relationship at all, you'll pay attention to that."

Robbie snickered and Rebecca sighed. _This _was why she'd wanted to keep things so casual between her and Eli: to spare him the pain of meeting her mother for more than two minutes, which would no doubt send him running and end the most promising relationship she'd ever had.

* * *

When Eli got home from school after his meeting with the chess club, he found Rebecca standing at the dining room table, dressed in an evening gown that matched her blue eyes and standing next to a table laden with food. "So," he said, looking at the spread. "What's this for? What did you do wrong that you want me to try and forget?"

"I didn't do anything wrong," Rebecca replied. "Sit and eat! And you don't have to skimp on portions. There's enough to feed an army!"

"I can see that," Eli replied as he sat down and filled up a plate. "So, what's this all for? Cause it's not my birthday or anything."

"I'll tell you later, I promise," Rebecca told him as she kissed his neck and massaged his shoulders. "Now, I just want you to relax and enjoy."

Despite the fact that that's what she wanted, her nonchalance and refusal to tell him what was wrong immediately made him more worried than relaxed. But he got through dinner, and a recorded program on the moon landing, and after he and Rebecca had undressed for bed, he stared at her intently from his side of the mattress. "Are you gonna tell me the thing now?" He demanded. "What's wrong?"

"Let's just wait a little longer," Rebecca said, sitting up on her elbows. "We can have a little fun first."

"I know you mean well, but I can't relax until you tell me whatever you're putting off telling me," Eli said, coming to sit next to her. "It can't be that bad."

"Actually it can," Rebecca sighed. "When I've told other boyfriends of mine this thing, that's when they've all run away."

"I won't," Eli replied firmly. "I promise."

"Fine," Rebecca sighed. "It's my mother. She wants to meet you. She was visiting me and Robbie at, you know, my actual house, and he ratted us out, so now you have to meet my mom if we're gonna stay together. I mean, I _tried_ to explain that you're a good and decent person, unlike a lot of my past boyfriends, and I even said that Mom shouldn't have to meet you because her husband is your great-grandfather, and that should be good enough. But she wasn't comforted by that, so the only way for me to get her off our backs is if we suck it up and I allow her to meet you in person."

Eli was silent for a little bit and Rebecca felt her heart sink. He really _was_ gonna dump her just like everyone else always had when the threat of Gwen loomed. Then, he gave her a hug and said, "You should have just told me right away instead of worrying yourself sick. I can meet your mother. It won't bother me."

"Are you sure?" Rebecca asked.

"Well, you said that's the only way we can stay together, so that makes it worth it for me," Eli replied. "So just tell me when she's gonna come, and we'll get it over with."

"All right," Rebecca replied, feeling relieved. "I'll call Mom tomorrow and set up a time. Is there any date I should avoid because you'll be too busy?"

"Not for something as important as this," Eli replied. "Schedule it whenever you want and I'll adjust."

"All right," Rebecca replied, staring at him for a long moment and wondering how someone so seemingly perfect could be real. There _had_ to be a flaw in him somewhere. Perhaps her mother would make him go off the deep end and show some temper that he always seemed too calm to have. That was a possibility.

"Are you still thinking about your mother?" Eli wanted to know, breaking into her thoughts.

"Well, honestly, no," Rebecca replied. "I was thinking about you."

"I like that answer," Eli grinned. "How about you turn over on your stomach and we'll see if we can't get you loosened up a little?"

"Oh, you don't have to," Rebecca replied. "I'm fine, seriously."

"I don't think you are," Eli countered. "Come on. You can be honest with me."

"Okay," Rebecca let out a breath and turned onto her stomach. "Maybe I'm a little tense. Do your thing." She then began moaning with pleasure as his long, skilled fingers slowly and gently massaged the muscles of her neck, shoulders, and back. Then, she giggled as she felt his lips move down her spine, the last kiss being at the point in her back right near her butt where she knew she'd have to put the tattoo sometime when they played the game again. It made shivers go up her back and wetness soak her panties without even so much as a rub. "Turn me over," she begged. "Please."

"All right," Eli replied. He turned her onto her back so she was staring up at him in amazement. "I liked that," she told him. "You should do it more often."

"I'll remember to," Eli replied. "But there's still some massaging that needs to be done. It's not over yet!"

"Oh, it better not be!" Rebecca replied. She helped Eli get her panties off, and then gently rubbed between her legs as gently and thoroughly as he'd done with her shoulders and back, an action that made her whimper.

"Do you want me to stop?" He whispered.

"No," she shook her head. "Keep going, please."

"All right," Eli nodded, then entered her with his finger, swirling it around inside her. His fingers were so long that it wasn't difficult for him to touch her in just the right place. He rubbed her throbbing core, and she came with a force that sent her bolting upward, and Eli had to grab her with his free arm to stop her from going tumbling off the mattress.

"Are you okay?" He asked. "Was that too much?"

"No," Rebecca shook her head as he moved her hair from her face. "It was…it was wonderful. But how do you know how to do that? You're just a kid!"

"I read," Eli replied, laying her back down on the mattress. He then lowered his head down to kiss her gently. "Things are gonna be all right," with your mother," he said. "I promise. He then nibbled on her earlobe and kissed her belly button before she said, "When are you gonna want your turn for all this generosity?"

"Oh, I don't need any," he replied, looking up from her navel. "This is all for you. However, have you thought about piercing your belly button ever?"

"Why?" Rebecca wanted to know, getting her lips right up next to his earlobe. "Would that excite you?" He nodded eagerly, and she then zapped a little diamond into her navel and he stared at it, entranced, before leaning forward to kiss the skin around it."

"Wow," Rebecca laughed. "Tattoos get you hot. Piercings get you hot. I would have never guessed."

"Well, I'm a man full of surprises," Eli replied and leaned forward to kiss her, his tongue sliding gently between her teeth as he supported the back of her head so she wouldn't hit it on the headboard. She then parted her legs to allow him entrance inside her. He hadn't meant to do anything with her for himself, but that belly button ring had really done something to him. She held on to _him_ as his legs wrapped around her waist and he pushed into her as deep as he could, rubbing his lips with her tongue, her cry of release cut off as he kissed her again and collapsed against him after, panting heavily as languid warmth pervaded her body.

"Feeling any better?" He asked.

"Oh, yes," She nodded. "I don't think I'll have to worry about sleeping tonight."

"Good," Eli replied. "That was the point of all this." He settled down with his head on his pillow and reached out to stroke her back again before snapping off the light over their bed. "Goodnight, darling," he said to her.

"Good night, dear," Rebecca replied with a yawn as Eli pulled the blanket over both of them and she felt herself falling asleep.

* * *

"I'm _so_ sorry to drag you into having to meet my mother," Rebecca apologized again a few nights later as they prepared for Gwen to come to their house, even though she knew there was no need to apologize. "I really didn't want you to have to go through this." She'd been cleaning all day and Eli could tell she was on edge

"Oh, it's okay," Eli replied for the thousandth time, although his tone was patient as he put a hand on her arm. "I'm sure your mother is no worse than the relatives of mine who have issues."

"Oh, you just wait," Rebecca cautioned. "She'll probably make remarks about your age, and if she brought my baby pictures, please don't run the other way. I mean, they were taken a long time ago, so they're old and you can probably make out next to nothing, but you never know."

"You can relax," Eli assured her. "Your baby pictures won't contain anything I've never seen before."

"Good," Rebecca nodded. "But I'm still scared as hell for this."

"I'll be right beside you," Eli told her. "And no matter what your mother does, I won't run away. I promise."

Just then, they heard a knock on the door and Rebecca started like a frightened deer. "That's probably my mother," she said.

"I'll go get the door," Eli replied. "You just sit."

Rebecca sat at the table (which was just set for appearances. They weren't planning on eating) and Eli went to let Gwen in. "Hello, ma'am," he said when he saw her. "Come in, please."

"You know, I'm pleasantly surprised by this house," Gwen admitted as she looked around while feeling equally impressed by Eli's neat attire (gray slacks, and a blue sweater over a blue and white striped button down shirt.) "It was described to me by my grandson Robbie as 'a shack in the woods', so I was expecting much more of a mess."

"Rebecca actually decorated it," Eli replied. "Initially, it _was_ more of a shack than a house, but your daughter was the one who made it a nice place to live."

"Well, isn't that nice?" Gwen smiled. She reached the table and Rebecca stood up and gave her a brief hug. "Welcome to our house, Mother," she said. "So glad you could make it."

"It's my pleasure now that you finally have gotten around to inviting me," Gwen replied. "So, are you fixing me dinner, or what?"

"Oh, were you _expecting_ dinner?" Rebecca asked, rising to her feet. "I can whip something up quick. It wouldn't be any trouble."

"Would you, dear?" Gwen wanted to know. "I had to skip a dinner with Mikael to come here, so I have to eat _something._"

While Rebecca was in the kitchen fixing dinner up, Gwen stayed in the dining room, continuing to pepper Eli with questions.

"What are your intentions with my daughter?" She asked. "I hope I'll be planning a wedding for the two of you. You seem like the most decent boy she's ever dated. We can't let you get away."

Eli shrugged. "I like your daughter very much, ma'am," he said truthfully. "But we're taking things slow and I'm really leaving the direction of our relationship up to her. If she ever says she wants to get married, I'd be amenable to it."

"Well, how about you do an eager mother a favor and propose to her right now?" Gwen pushed.

"I-I don't know," Eli replied, feeling a bit flustered. "I-I don't think that would really be appropriate."

"You _don't_ really like her, _do_ you?" Gwen shouted. "If you _really_ cared for her, you'd propose to her right now!" Thunder suddenly cracked in the sky and Eli swallowed nervously, but stood his ground. "I promise I'll propose when the time is right," he said. "But now isn't the right time. Do whatever you want to me, but I'm not gonna throw Rebecca under the bus just to make you happy. If this is how you treat every man she gets serious with, it's no wonder she's never found anyone decent! You scared them all away, just like she said!"

"Well, well, well," Gwen chuckled. "Of all Rebecca's suitors, it's the _child_ who has the courage to speak back to me."

"You're damn right," Eli nodded. "I bet my grandfather doesn't put up with your crap, and I won't either. So how about you give your daughter a break and then we'll all have a nice evening?"

"Yeah, Mother," Rebecca said, peering out at them from the kitchen. "What about that?" She put a tray of appetizers on the table and then came to stand next to Eli. "If the interrogation is complete, I'm willing to have a nice evening. And it doesn't matter if you disapprove of him. I'm not giving him up."

Gwen looked between the two of them. "I wasn't planning on making you give him up, you know," she said.

"You weren't?" Rebecca asked in surprise.

"No," Gwen replied. "He's clearly got more of my husband in him than I realized and since he's got the courage to stand up to me, and seems to genuinely care about you, I guess I can't object to your relationship any longer." She took some spinach dip off the appetizer plate, put a chip in it, and ate it. "Very good," she said as Rebecca and Eli came to join her. "If this is an appetizer, I can't wait to see what dinner tastes like."

* * *

"Are you sure you're busy?" Selina asked. "Cause I have a class to teach today and Elijah had to go out on some emergency errands. It'll only be for a couple of hours. I promise."

"I'm sorry," Amy apologized. "Really I am. But Kol and Margot are having issues and I have to make sure they don't kill each other."

"Well, all right," Selina sighed. "Thanks anyway." She hung up on Amy and stared at Amanda, who was reaching for her with grabby hands. "Looks like you'll have to come to work with me," she said, picking up her diaper bag, then her. "That's okay. It's not like I've never dealt with children on the job before." She strapped her in her car seat and drove her to school, taking her inside and heading to the teachers' lounge, where she was sure to find at least _one_ person she knew who could watch Amanda for the length one class. Elijah would be back from his errands after and be free to watch her, so it wouldn't be like she'd be at school the whole day.

When she reached the teachers' lounge, she looked inside and saw one person there. Unfortunately, he was the _last_ person who'd want to look after Amanda. But since she was in a bind, she asked anyway.

"Viktor, are you off for a bit? I need someone to watch Amanda until I get done teaching my class."

Viktor gave her a long look and then took the baby from Selina's arms. "I'm gonna start asking for money soon, you know."

"I understand," Selina nodded, handing him Amanda's diaper bag. "And you deserve it by now. Thank you so much for your help."

"Don't mention it," Viktor replied as she scurried away. He then stared at Amanda, who cocked her head to the side and stared back. "I've got my eye on you," he said. "Don't think I'd let you out of my sight for a minute, you little hobgoblin."

Amanda just laughed at this, then snapped at Viktor's hand until he gave her a teething ring instead. With her mouth otherwise occupied, Viktor sat down with her on the sofa, trying to find something to do in the teacher's lounge that would entertain a baby for two hours. He shut his eyes and wished fervently that he was a warlock like Alistair and could make anything in the world appear out of thin air, but no such luck. He rooted around in her diaper bag and pulled out a couple of little toys, but when he tried to offer them to Amanda, she just threw them on the floor. He picked them up again, and again, she threw them, giggling more each time, probably thinking it was some sort of game. It was like playing fetch with a smartass puppy. All the time he was spending on the floor wasn't doing his new beige suit any favors. He _knew_ he shouldn't have worn it today. Every bit of dirt and dust from the floor was gonna end up all over him for everyone to see, and he didn't like that one bit.

Things got worse when Amanda began to cry. He tried feeding her, but that was no good. She just spit it out. He tried throwing the toys again. That didn't work either. Finally, with a sinking heart, he realized that she probably needed to be changed. He got the diaper off her and managed to clean her up, but putting a new one on was a problem. He screwed up so badly that eventually, all the diapers in the bag had to be thrown away. He looked at the screaming, naked baby, took her in his arms, and hunted around for something that he could use as a diaper substitute until he could call Alistair to zap him up some new ones. It was as he rooted around in the cupboard over the sink that he felt wetness on his pant leg. He looked down and saw the yellow stain spreading down his thigh. "I hate you," he told Amanda, even though he knew it wasn't her fault. "You can't go just two hours without causing me trouble, can you? Damn it, I just bought this suit, and now it's been soiled! I'm not gonna relish having to explain this to my dry cleaners!"

When Alistair finally came back to the teacher's lounge, he found both Viktor and Amanda on the verge of tears. "What is going on?" He asked. "Can I help?"

"I need more diapers!" Viktor cried, wide-eyed as he grabbed Alistair's collar. "She peed all over my suit cause I ruined all the diapers and there aren't any, and I don't know what to do!"

"Okay, sit down," Alistair said. "Just take a deep breath and sit down." Viktor sat and Alistair cleaned up his suit before going over to Amanda, zapping her into a new dress and diaper, and calming her down.

"It's okay," he said. "It's almost tome for you to go see your mother anyway." Just then, Selina poked her head in and took Amanda from Alistair.

"Did you behave for Viktor?" She asked her daughter. "Or is that too much to hope for?"

"It didn't end well," Viktor replied sourly.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Selina told him. She then wrote him a check for a hundred dollars. "Here," she said. "You deserve this for saving my butt today. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Viktor replied, tucking the check in his pocket. "But I hope that in the future, you'll be able to find yourself another babysitter."

"Oh, I will," Selina assured him. "You've done _more_ than enough. Now you're off the hook and her father gets to watch her."

"I wish him the best of luck," Viktor replied dryly, narrowing his eyes as Amanda, now in better spirits, gave him a cheery wave, and Selina shut the teachers' lounge door behind them.


	18. Easier This Time Around

"I know you might hate me for suggesting this," Eli told Rebecca. "But I think that since I braved the storm with your mother, it's only right that you meet my family."

"But I already know your parents," Rebecca pointed out. "And Mikael. Who else is there to meet?"

"What about my grandfather?" Eli asked. "The man I'm named after and the reason why I am the way that I am?"

"Oh, so you mean your parents didn't just decide to call you 'Elijah' out of the blue? I thought that was a bit of an old fashioned name, especially for someone as hip as your mother." Rebecca shrugged. "Well, all right. Is he gonna be as wary of me as my mom was of you?"

"No," Eli shook his head. "I don't think so. Just as long as you act like a lady and don't do anything weird. Can you do that?"

"I suppose," Rebecca rolled her eyes. "He sounds like my mom."

"Well, according to my mother, he's the one that's closest to your stepfather in temperament," Eli nodded. When this caused Rebecca to look worried, he gave her a hug. "Don't worry. Even if you have trouble with Grandpa, you still will be guaranteed to get along with Grandma, cause she's just like my mom, okay?" Then, he kissed her on the cheek.

"Yeah," Rebecca smiled and hugged him back. "Okay. Even though I'm not sure that your mother likes me anymore."

"Sure she does," Eli replied. "Don't worry, you'll see."

* * *

"Thank you so much for agreeing to meet Eli's friend," Laura told Elijah. "I know you're busy with Amanda and all that, so I appreciate it."

"From the sound of things, they're not just friends," Selina replied. "You sound like you don't like that so much, Laura. And you have that same look on your face that you do when you see Amanda."

"It's just…it's _weird!_" Laura cried. "Mom, Rebecca is the same age as you practically, or even as old as your mother, and she's dating my kid!"

"And what did you say to me when I got upset about Edward?" Elijah asked, eyebrow raised. "If Eli is happy, I think we should all support him."

Laura raised an eyebrow back as Elijah went to answer the door. "Who is that man and what has he done with my father?" She demanded of Selina, who just shrugged.

Eli and Rebecca came in then, Eli striding proudly into the living room, but Rebecca holding back. "You didn't tell me your mother was gonna be here!" She whispered angrily to him as she tried to hide behind a wall. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Cause I didn't know!" Eli cried. "Sweetheart, please just come out. Mom's not gonna be mad at you."

Rebecca took tiny steps into the living room and sat as far away from Laura as possible, looking straight at Elijah. "You know," she said. "It's great to finally find out where Eli gets his great fashion sense from."

"Well, thank you," Elijah replied. "You look beautiful yourself." At that, Rebecca flushed and began laughing in a loud, shrill, and obnoxious way before Laura came and put a hand over her mouth. "There," she said, while Eli frowned. "That fixes that!"

"Mom," Eli got out. "Please be nice. You don't want to be the mean mother between you and Gwen, do you?"

"You've met Gwen?" Elijah asked as Laura moved her hand from Rebecca's mouth. "When was that?"

"Not too long ago," Eli replied. "She was suspicious of me at first, but then she must've gotten over it, cause she really wanted us to get married, and I told her that I would wait to propose until Rebecca told me she was ready."

"And that better be a _long_ time from now," Laura said. "At least wait until you're eighteen and out of school. We don't want you throwing your life away."

Eli decided not to point out how early his parents had gotten married, or call his mother out for being the hypocrite she was so obviously being. He wanted this to be as pleasant as possible for everyone, which meant keeping his mouth shut about anything his mother said.

"So, Rebecca," Elijah said to break the awkward silence. "What is it that you do?"

"I-I've had lots of jobs over the years," Rebecca replied. "I haven't really found anything that's stuck." She paused. "You probably want your grandson to be with someone who's employed or whatever, right?"

"Well, if you two are happy and things have worked out for you thus far, it's really none of my business, is it?" Elijah replied. "I assume that you hear enough of that sort of sentiment from your mother and don't need me to add to it."

"Yes, thank you," Rebecca replied. "I'm glad you understand."

"But if you ever _want_ any help with that sort of thing," Elijah continued, "I'd be more than happy to give it to you."

"Well, thank you," Rebecca smiled. "That's really sweet."

"You _better_ get a job!" Laura spat. "I don't want you just mooching off my son while he does all the work!"

"You know, Laura, I think you should go," Elijah said in a pointed way. "I'm sure Edward misses you. How long has it been since the two of you have had time alone?"

Laura's jaw dropped a little. "But, Daddy, I—"

"Go," Elijah repeated. "Unless you're planning on having a change in attitude and being more pleasant."

"Fine," Laura replied and stood up. "Whatever."

She left and Rebecca let out a sigh of relief. "Would I be a bad person if I said I was glad she was gone?"

"No," Selina shook her head. "I would feel the same way if I was in your place. Meeting the family is never easy."

"No," Rebecca shook her head. "It's not. But you should have seen Eli with my mother. He handled her masterfully."

"I wouldn't have expected anything else," Elijah said. "So that doesn't surprise me." He then whispered something in Selina's ear that no one else heard.

Just then, Rebecca gave a sniff. "Do I smell cookies?" She wanted to know.

"Yeah," Selina sprung up. "You do. Eli, would you come and help me with them? Your grandfather wants to have a private chat with Rebecca."

"All right," Eli replied. "Better him than my mother, I guess."

"And don't worry," Elijah said. "I promise not to speak to her harshly and scare her away."

Once he and Rebecca were alone, he asked her to come with him to his office. Rebecca did so, feeling nervous as he shut the door behind her and ushered her to the empty chair opposite his desk.

"So…what is it you wanna talk about?" She asked. "I'm not in trouble, am I?"

"No," Elijah said. "I told you that I didn't care about your employment when it came to being with Eli, but I have to wonder…do you really care about him?"

"Yeah, I do," Rebecca nodded. "He's…he's not really the usual sort of man that I go for, and I turned him down many times before we finally got together, but…then one day, I was in a bad place, and he saved me and made sure I was okay when no one else could have. He's treated me with more love and care than anyone else I've ever been with. That's why I love him. He does so much for me, and I do things for him too, of course, but they're not anything in comparison. I was in the kitchen when my mother was pestering him to propose, and I've never seen anyone stand up to my mother like he did, especially for my sake, acting like I was someone of value to him. I just…I really appreciate him. You have to believe me."

Elijah gave her a long look. She seemed very earnest, and he decided that she was telling the truth. "Well, good," he told her and stood up. "I wish the two of you the best of luck."

"Thank you," Rebecca replied. "Thank you very much!"

"You're welcome," Elijah replied. Then they walked back to the living room where Eli and Selina were sitting with the cookies.

"Everything all right?" Eli asked as Rebecca took one off the plate, ate it, and then grabbed him, kissing him deeply right in front of his grandparents. When she finally pulled away, he was blushing. He turned to Selina and said, "Sorry about that."

"Oh, don't be sorry," Selina replied. "I thought that was cute."

They then finished off the cookie plate, talked a little more, and then Amanda woke up from her nap, so Eli and Rebecca excused themselves to head back home.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Eli wanted to know. "Well, apart from my mom, anyway. I'm really sorry about her."

"It's all right," Rebecca assured him. "I mean, I'll probably have to find someone else to do my hair, but I can do that. Your grandfather is a very nice man."

"What did he want to talk to you about?" Eli wanted to know.

"He just wanted to make sure that I was really serious about you and would treat you right," Rebecca replied, her hands coming off the steering wheel for a moment. "I told him how I really felt about us, and based on that, got his blessing."

"Oh?" Eli smiled. "And just what did you say?"

"That I probably don't deserve you, but I care about you nonetheless," Rebecca replied. "I tell you anymore and it's gonna turn your head."

"All right," Eli replied. "I have my secrets, and you have yours, and we'll leave it at that. What do you say we pick up some wine on the way home to celebrate the fact that we got through meeting each other's families."

"But you're not old enough to drink yet, you naughty boy!" Rebecca smiled.

"That's it," Eli replied. "I'm growing a beard. Maybe that'll make me look older."

"I was just teasing," Rebecca replied. "Sure, we can get wine. And I wouldn't mind seeing you scruffy at all."

"Good," Eli nodded. "Cause it's gonna happen whether you like it or not."

"Oh, I like it," Rebecca nodded. "I really like it. You have a thing for piercings; I have a thing for scruff. I guess we're both gonna be happy, aren't we?"

* * *

"I'm so sorry that I couldn't watch Amanda the other day," Amy apologized as she and Selina brought Rosalie and Amanda on a play date. "I hope it all worked out in the end."

"Oh, it did!" Selina replied. "I took her to school and left her with Viktor when he didn't have class. But I think he's just about had it with her. She just causes so much trouble for him."

They then watched as Rosalie put her tiny fingers in Amanda's mouth. "Oh, no, don't do that!" Selina cried and gently moved them. "She has a tendency to bite!"

At that moment, Vivi came in with Viktor and Eva-Michelle. "I thought you'd wanna see the baby again!" Vivi told her mother. "I just finished showing her to Viktor!"

"Of course!" Amy replied and took Eva-Michelle from her mother, plunking her down with the other two babies. Amanda seemed to like her and even pushed her own favorite teething ring toward her new friend, even though Eva Michelle was nowhere close to teething. But Viktor watched the other two babies, trying to move them as far away from Amanda as possible. Of course Eva Michelle was easy to move, but Rosalie, not so much. "Get away while you can!" He cried. "Your future happiness depends on it!" Then he looked sheepishly at Selina's strange look. "Sorry," he cried. "I was kidding, I swear."

"Oh, you've been through so much with her that I can't say I'm offended," Selina replied. Then, to change the subject, she asked Viktor, "How are things going with you and Alexandra Croft?"

"Not so bad," Viktor replied, running his fingers through his hair. "Astrid still isn't a fan, and she probably never will be, but I'm entitled to my own social life, aren't I?"

"Well, of course!" Selina replied. "Granted, she's not the first person I would pick for you, but if you're happy, good for you!"

"Thank you," Viktor replied. "That's very nice of you to say. In fact, I think that if things keep going as well as they are, I might ask her to marry me."

"Really?" Selina asked, her jaw dropping. "She must really be the one if you're sure this quickly."

"You think I'm moving too fast?" Viktor wanted to know. "I mean, I'm not getting any younger."

"Oh, you're fine," Vivi replied. "Don't be silly. Have you told my dad? It's something he might be interested to know about."

"Yes!" Amy nodded. "We should go out to dinner sometime. Or you could just come over. Fair warning, though: our house is full of babies, so peace and quiet is a rare thing."

"Two babies is hardly a house full," Vivi smiled.

"Well, sometimes it sounds like it is," Amy replied. "But I have to say that I'm proud of how you and King have handled Eva-Michelle, pushing up your sleeves and taking responsibility for her, when I'm sure there are times you'd rather do other things." She paused. "You know, your father and I said the other day when you were at school that since you were doing so well with Eva-Michelle, you could have a date night if you wanted. We could take her for a few hours on Friday or Saturday, and you could have some time for yourselves where you wouldn't have to do homework or anything."

"Well, thank you!" Vivi said. "That's very generous of you."

"You're welcome," Amy replied. Then turned her attention back to Rosalie and Amanda, who'd gotten into some sort of scuffle over a pacifier and were screaming and pulling on each other's hair, helping Selina to separate them, while Eva-Michelle lay calmly on the floor as if nothing around her was affecting her at all.


	19. Two Nights Out

"I think after meeting all our parents, I just want to stay in tonight," Rebecca told Eli. "Is that all right? Were you wanting to do something fancy like go to a museum or something?"

"No," Eli shook his head. "I had no plans whatsoever. Staying in is totally fine."

"Good!" Rebecca replied and plunked down a copy of the movie _Body Heat_ down on the sofa. "I thought we could watch this. It sounds _hot!_"

Eli picked up the movie and read the back, his jaw dropping. "This just sounds so…trashy," he said.

"Oh, come on!" Rebecca cried. "It wouldn't hurt you to watch a trashy movie once in your life. It's not gonna burn your retinas and make you blind! You probably do things during a game of "Find the Tattoo" that are worse than what is in this movie."

"Oh, all right," Eli sighed. "We can watch it. Sure. Fine. Why not?" He took the case from her and looked it over. "This sounds promising. Who doesn't love a movie about a sleazy lawyer who has an affair with the wife of a wealthy businessman, and then everything goes horribly wrong."

"We're not watching it for the plot!" Rebecca scoffed and took the DVD case from him. "We're watching it for the sexiness! It might give us ideas!"

"Fine," Eli sighed. "But if you ever want me to roleplay a sleazy lawyer, I'm going to say 'No'. I don't care how much you beg."

Rebecca smiled. "Well, we'll just see, won't we?" She asked and popped the movie in the player.

Eli tried to watch it, but he found it a tiresome crime drama that relied too heavily on sex to be truly compelling.

"Thank you, Mr. Ebert," Rebecca replied dryly when he told her this. "But like I said, the plot wasn't the point of watching this."

"Well, then, why did we?" Eli cried and threw his hands up. "If you wanted to just do sexy stuff, we could have gone and done it, rather than wasting all this time watching garbage!"

"All right, that's it!" Rebecca cried, standing up. "Go stand against the wall."

"Why?" Eli asked, one side of his mouth going up. "Are you mad about my hating the movie and want to put me in some sort of time out? What do you think I am? A child?" He stroked the bit of stubble that was beginning to show on his chin. "I'm hardly a child."

"What part of 'get against the wall' do you not understand?" Rebecca growled. "Do it now!"

"Oh, fine!" Eli cried and decided to humor her. She then approached him and got down on her knees, unzipping him and sucking gently, doing probably the one thing in the movie that he wouldn't complain about.

"Oh, my god!" Eli said, shutting his eyes as he braced himself. "You always find some way to stop me from being mad at you, don't you?"

As Rebecca's mouth was occupied, she couldn't respond, but she sucked a little harder, and that made Eli have to grab her hair to stay still while he came. He thought that Rebecca would resurface after she swallowed, but she let things go on for a bit longer, and when she finally detached herself, she gave him a smile and said, "There you go. Was that worth the time we spent watching the movie? Did that make up for it?"

"Well, yeah," Eli nodded. "But I still don't see why we had to watch a stupid movie to get you do to do it."

"Oh, for the love of all that is holy, can't you just take an apology in the spirit that it's meant and move on?" Rebecca cried in frustration. "Do you have to _linger_ on everything?"

"Yes, I do," Eli nodded. "Sorry, but it's just the way I am."

"Well, thank goodness you're cute," Rebecca responded as she patted his butt. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to stand you."

"Yes, well, your looks make up for a lot of flaws too," Eli replied dryly. He did up his pants and went to look for the paper, which he hadn't read yet. When he couldn't find it, he went in search of Rebecca, who liked to take the paper to do the crossword puzzle.

"Have you finished doing your puzzle in the paper today?" He wanted to know. "There are some articles I want to read."

"Well, please," Rebecca gestured at the paper, which was in a disorganized pile on the floor by her side of the bed. "Be my guest. You'll have to put it in the right order, though."

Eli glared. "You know, being passive-aggressive like this isn't very attractive."

"Oh, I get that," Rebecca nodded. "But when did I ever say that I wanted to spend my whole life only doing things that will make me attractive to you?"

"You never did," Eli replied. "But that's still no reason to be a jerk." He began gathering up the paper. "You know, you could at least apologize."

"What should I apologize for?" Rebecca wanted to know. "You're a capable person. You can put a paper together."

"That's not the issue!" Eli cried. "It's that all you see me as is someone to have sex with!"

"Oh, god, here we go again!" Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Okay, get it out of your system. I'll wait."

"I don't want you to wait, I want you to _listen!_" Eli replied. "I love you and I want us to work out, but if you're not willing to treat me like a person, I'm going to have to look elsewhere."

"Oh, come on!" Rebecca replied. "You tried that already with Louisa, and you gave up! You can't stay away from me!"

"I could if I tried," Eli threatened. "I'm serious! I don't want to, but I will. Now, will you apologize or not?"

"All right," Rebecca replied and zapped the paper in the right order. "I'm sorry," she said as he picked it up. "I don't mean to make you feel bad, but sometimes, I just think it wouldn't hurt you to be shaken up a little, you know? Get out of your usual routine. Do something a little different. And you and I both know that if I left it up to you, you'd never actually do it. Am I right? Or am I wrong?"

"I don't want to admit it, but you're right," Eli replied. "I know I can be…stuck in my ways, and I'm grateful for your help in getting me out of ruts I put myself in. I just want more choice in how that happens, or at least to be made aware before you pull a stunt. Is that doable?"

"Yeah, okay," Rebecca replied. Then she held out her arms. "You think you can come give me a hug before you go and read your paper?"

"Oh, all right," Eli smiled and put the paper on the lid of the wicker hamper before striding over to the bed and climbing in by Rebecca and taking her in his arms. When he gave her a kiss, she made a noise and pulled away a little.

"Sorry," he said. "Is the stubble a bit much for you? Should I shave it off?"

"Oh no, don't you dare!" Rebecca replied, running her fingers lightly over his cheeks and making him shiver inside. He then took her hand in his and kissed her palm. "I do love you, you know," he told her. "You realize that, right?"

"Yeah," Rebecca nodded. "I do. And even though you might not believe it, I love you too."

"I believe it," Eli replied and kissed her lightly. "I really want to, anyway."

Rebecca gave him one more long hug before telling him to go read his paper while she napped. He took his paper off the hamper lid and after shutting the door behind him, headed to the living room where he cracked open the business section to see what was going there, before giving in to an urge for whimsy and turning to the comics.

* * *

"Thank you for letting me call Lucy about babysitting Amanda," Elijah told Selina as they headed out to dinner. "I know you wanted Roxanne, but I feel much better about my Lucy doing it."

"Ah, it's okay," Selina sighed. "I thought you'd enjoy seeing her. It's been awhile."

"Yes, it has," Elijah nodded. "But she's a busy woman, so I don't blame her. I just hope she'll have Amanda doing educational things to help her brain grow. That's very important."

"Oh, I'm sure she will," Selina replied. "And remember what we decided: once we get to the restaurant, we don't talk about Amanda. We can manage that for an hour or two, right?"

"Yes, of course," Elijah nodded. "That was the deal and I intend to keep my side of it." When they reached the restaurant, Elijah handed the car over to the valet and then led Selina inside. They ordered a bottle of wine, and made it through appetizers, dinner, and dessert without one call from Lucy about something going wrong.

"You didn't just turn off your phone, did you?" Elijah asked. "You don't think Lucy called and was unable to reach one of us?"

"Of course I didn't turn off my phone," Selina said calmly. "I promise I left it on. Could it be that nothing bad happened and we just were allowed a good night? That's possible too, isn't it?"

"I should like to think so," Elijah replied, taking her hand and kissing it. "I think we were really lucky this time."

They drove home and when they met Lucy at the door, she informed them in a hushed voice that Amanda was asleep.

"You got her to sleep?" Selina whispered back. "Usually that doesn't happen. What sort of magic did you do?"

"No magic," Lucy replied. "Just patience and a few playings of _Aquarium_ from _Carnival of the Animals."_ She yawned and pushed her short blonde hair out of her eyes. "I almost fell asleep myself."

"Well, thank you for watching her for us," Elijah replied. "Would you like me to come with you on your drive home?"

"Sure," Lucy replied, grabbing her plum coat with the fur collar and a white cloche hat she'd found at somebody's yard sale. "It's been so long since we've had time to talk that I wouldn't mind that."

"Would you mind?" Elijah asked Selina.

"No, you two go ahead," Selina replied. "Enjoy yourselves."

"All right," Elijah replied. "You don't need to wait for me to return if you're tired. Just go to bed and I'll manage."

"I'll right," Selina nodded. "I'll see you when I see you." She checked on Amanda before undressing, tucking herself in, and going to bed.

* * *

Viktor had agreed to go out with Miss Croft to the orchestra a few days later, but though the show had started out rousing, as it had gone on, he felt himself starting to get bored. When he dozed off, it was only for a second or two before he felt the sharp pain of her heel going into his foot. "What's wrong with you?" She cried. "Are you trying to embarrass me on purpose?"

"Sorry," he whispered back. "I'm just a little…tired is all. I'm gonna go to the bathroom and then I'll be right back." He got up and limped out the theater door, and then once he was out of sight, he ran out of the building, hailed a taxi, and drove to Selina and Elijah's house, knocking on the door.

"Viktor!" Selina cried as Amanda smiled, wriggled, and reached out her hands toward him from her mother's arms. "Come in!"

"Thank you," Viktor smiled and, to Selina's surprise, took Amanda from her without protest.

"I never thought I'd say this," he said, hugging the baby to himself. "But I'm really glad to see you."

"It must have been a slow evening for you if you ran all the way over here just to see Amanda," Selina remarked. "You and Alexandra Croft go on a bad date or something?"

"She dragged me to the orchestra," Viktor nodded. "I got bored and unfortunately, in her world, no matter how dull the music is, showing boredom is a sin. I fell asleep and she stuck her heel in my foot!"

"Do you think you're bleeding?" Selina asked, getting down on her knees. "Take off your shoes. I'll check."

"Oh, no," Viktor shook his head. "Thank you, but I'm fine, I promise."

"All right," Selina shrugged. "If you're sure."

"I am," Viktor promised, and gave Amanda a kiss on her head. She leaned against him and stayed very calm, an unusual thing for when she was in close proximity to Viktor. But the peace didn't last long. She grabbed one of his gold cufflinks off his sleeve, clutched it in her tiny fist, and refused to give it back.

"Please," Viktor begged. "Amanda, I would like my cufflink back."

Amanda then stuck it in her mouth and Selina ran over, but Viktor handled it first, sticking his fingers in Amanda's mouth, trying to ignore the spit all over his fingers as he worked on extricating the cufflink from her mouth so she wouldn't swallow it and choke. When he finally got it out, he handed it to Selina, who took it into the kitchen and got it washed off and dried. When she came back with it, he handed her the other one, just to be safe, and played with Amanda until he got an angry call from Alexandra Croft demanding to know where he'd gone.

"You didn't have to just up and leave!" She said. "If you were bored, you could have said something!"

"What, you mean my falling asleep wasn't enough of an indication that I was bored?" Viktor replied. "I'm sorry, Alexandra."

"Well, I had much more fun by myself, anyway," she told him. "And hopefully, you found a way to amuse yourself as well."

"Oh, I did," Viktor replied and beeped Amanda's nose, making her giggle. "Don't you worry about me. I'll be home in a few minutes."

"All right," Alexandra replied. "I'll see you then. Bye."

"Bye," Viktor replied. He ended the call and Selina said, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, it is," Viktor replied. "I gotta get home now, but thanks for your hospitality."

"You're welcome," Selina smiled. "It was great to see you. For everyone."

"See you tomorrow," Viktor told her, giving Amanda one last hug.

"Yes, you will," Selina nodded. "Goodnight, Viktor."

He left and Selina congratulated Amanda on her good behavior before taking her to her room and setting her down for the night, and then waiting for Elijah to come home from his night out with Alistair.


	20. A Present From Rebecca

When Rebecca hadn't heard from Gwen for several days, she decided to suck it up and go visit her, something that pleased Eli greatly. "Would you like me to come with you?" He asked. "Or should I just leave you ladies to talk things out yourselves?"

Rebecca shrugged. "I mean, Mom likes you, so I suppose you could come if you want. No one is stopping you."

"I think I'll come," Eli nodded. "Just in case something bad's happened to her, I don't want you dealing with it by yourself."

"Can you ever be anything less than perfect?" Rebecca wanted to know as he followed her out to her car.

"No, much like my lingering, being perfect is just how I am," Eli grinned. They got in Rebecca's car and she drove them over to Gwen's where she got inside with a key and found her mother, lying in bed and still wearing a bathrobe, slippers on her feet and her hair unbrushed.

"And just what's wrong with you?" Rebecca wanted to know.

"You have a brother," Gwen got out, her voice tired.

"King, I know," Rebecca nodded.

"Not King," Gwen shook her head. "Regina's boyfriend Declan. It's a long story."

"I can hear it," Rebecca told her and sat down on the little piece of mattress that her mother's body allowed her. "Please, tell me. Unburden yourself."

"Well," Gwen sat up and sighed. "You know that you came to me because your father and I were struggling to have biological children of our own, right? That just prior to your arrival, I gave birth to the only biological child I ever had before King, who happened to be a stillborn boy?"

"Yeah," Rebecca nodded. "You told me that." Then she looked at Eli, who was standing just inside the door, but not wanting to come any farther so it wouldn't seem like he was intruding on a very personal family moment. "You can come in here if you want," she said. "It's all right."

"Okay," Eli nodded. "But I'm just gonna sit quietly so I don't interrupt anything."

"Fine," Rebecca told him. "Just don't be too bored."

"Oh, I won't," Eli replied. "I promise."

Then, Rebecca turned to her mother and said, "Sorry about that. Continue."

"Well, apparently, the stillborn boy wasn't so stillborn after all," Gwen said. "And it makes so much sense now. Cause just before they took him away, I _thought_ I saw a little bit of movement in his chest. Granted, it wasn't much, but it was_ there!" _And when I tried to say something about it, they acted like I was crazy. Like my grief was making me see things that weren't there. And the bad thing is, after some time had passed, I started to believe them."

"But you know you're right now?" Rebecca asked.

"Well, not for certain," Gwen cautioned. "But Declan looks so much like my late husband that I don't see how I could be wrong, even though it's not a sure thing." She paused. "You're not upset by this, are you?"

"No," Rebecca replied. "I'm a grown woman, and I can handle sharing you with people. I did it with King and I can do it with this new boy."

"You should meet him," Gwen smiled. "I think you'd really like him."

"Not too much, though," Eli replied before he could stop himself.

"What?" Gwen asked. "Why shouldn't she like him too much? He's her brother!"

"Never mind," Eli replied and gave a cough. "Forget I just said that."

"All right," Gwen nodded. "I'll try."

They were silent a moment before Rebecca said, "So…do you want me to meet him sometime? Or do you think it's too soon, since you don't know for sure that he's my brother?"

"You could meet him whenever you want," Gwen replied. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind. In fact, he's the one that came to me with the idea about our connection. I bet he'd have no problem meeting other members of his family."

"All right, so I'll meet him sometime," Rebecca nodded. "You two just set something up, tell me what it is, and I'll come. I'll come and be a good, welcoming sister."

"Thank you," Gwen replied and took Rebecca's hand. "That means a lot to me." She looked down at herself, then at the clock. "Well, look at the time!" She gasped. "Past noon and I'm still in my bathrobe. It's absolutely disgraceful. You two wouldn't mind showing yourselves out, would you?"

"No," Rebecca shouted after her mother as Gwen bustled into the bathroom. "We'll be fine. You just go about your business, Mother."

"So, you ready to go?" Eli asked, standing up from the stool of Gwen's vanity table.

"I guess," Rebecca nodded. "There's not much else for me to do here now, is there?"

* * *

"Are you okay with what your mother told you?" Eli asked Rebecca on their way back to their house. "You wanna talk about it?"

"What's there to talk about?" Rebecca wanted to know. "Mom had a son she always thought was dead, but it turns out he's alive and I have a new brother. It's okay. I can deal. I hope for his sake that he's good looking. Mom doesn't tolerate unattractive children."

"You just are hoping he's cute so you can make a move on him," Eli replied with a scoff and a roll of his eyes. "Just like you did with King."

"I did _not_!" Rebecca protested, looking scandalized.

"You did," Eli nodded. "You've just forgotten now cause I'm so perfect. And that's probably good cause you never had a chance with King anyway, and since Regina is with Declan, you probably won't have a chance with him either."

"Who says I want one?" Rebecca wanted to know. You're just so paranoid it's unbelievable."

"I think that the lady doth protest too much," Eli replied. "If you _really_ didn't care, you wouldn't have to work so hard trying to reassure me."

"But you _do_ believe me, right?" Rebecca asked hopefully.

"I want to," Eli replied. "I really do. But we'll have to see how things go."

* * *

That night, Rebecca had a dream: Both King and her new brother (whose looks she wasn't exactly sure of) were fighting over her. She couldn't help but revel in their attention, even though she knew that was really naughty. Suddenly though, the doors of the room opened and Eli (dressed, oddly enough, like a gladiator) strode into the room, plunged a sword into both men, and then took Rebecca in his arms, the feeling of his warm fingers against her skin very apparent cause her dress resembled something a goddess might wear: lots of strategically cut holes in the fabric and a gold clasp at the bodice.

"If you wanted my attention, you didn't have to kill for it," She told him.

"Oh, I think I did," he replied. "I love you, Rebecca. I love you."

Then, everything shattered as she felt Eli shake her awake. "I love you too," he said with a smile. "You kept saying that, over and over."

"Oh, sorry," she replied. "You know I say things when I get worked up. Like how I said it the other day when you and I were, you know. It's no biggie."

"Sure," Eli nodded and kissed her deep. "Whatever." He took her in his arms and whispered 'I love you too' against her ear, just the feeling of his lips alone feeling wonderful.

"I had a dream about us," Rebecca explained. "You were a gladiator. I was a Greek goddess. It was very sexy."

Eli opened his mouth and she put a finger over his lips. "I know what you're about to say, and don't ruin my nice sentiment by saying that a Roman gladiator would never go after a goddess because it's historically inaccurate. Let me have my fantasy."

"Okay," Eli nodded. "I will. I won't say a thing."

She waited a moment and then Eli asked, "What?"

"Aren't you gonna share now too?" She wanted to know. "Don't you have any fantasies about me? You can even tell me really sexy ones. I don't care."

"You're gonna laugh at this," Eli replied. "But I have dreams about us getting married. And the wedding night's not so shabby either."

"Us getting married is your big dream?" Rebecca asked, feeling let down. "Really? That's it?"

"It's a lot for me, though," Eli replied. "Whenever it gets around to happening."

Rebecca laughed. "How do you know it will?"

"Cause I just do," Eli replied with a smile.

Rebecca gave him a long look and then put her arms around him. "As long as it happens a long time from now," she said and gave him a kiss. "If you're so sure that it'll happen, there's really no need to rush it, is there?"

"No," Eli sighed, taking her in his arms and trying to hide his disappointment. "I-I guess not."

"I mean, we could get married now, if you really wanted," Rebecca said.

"No, I don't want that!" Eli replied, trying not to sound impatient. "I wanna do it when we're both ready! I don't want you to marry me just because I want to. What good would that do us?"

"Well, it would make you happy," Rebecca pointed out. "And you do so much to make me happy, why can't I do this thing for you?"

Eli sighed. "I appreciate what you're trying to do. I really do. But what makes me happy is the idea of being with you and us as a couple being happy together. It's not _just_ being married."

"Oh, okay," Rebecca smiled. "I get it now."

"Do you really?" Eli wanted to know.

Rebecca smiled. "Yeah," she replied. "I do."

* * *

Eli was still very doubtful, but at least when he came down for breakfast the next morning, she seemed to be in a good mood and unable to stop smiling. "What?" He asked. "Why are you so happy?"

"I don't know," Rebecca replied nonchalantly as she heaped bacon on to his plate. "It's a nice day. What's there to be upset about?"

"Nothing," Eli replied and began eating. "I was just curious." But when she burst into sudden giggles, he stopped eating and said, "Okay, what's so funny? You can't just laugh and laugh and keep me out of the joke."

"There's no joke," Rebecca assured him. "It's just that I-I have a surprise planned for you for when you get home from school and I'm really excited about it."

"A surprise?" Eli's eyebrow went up. "What sort of surprise? Is it like your usual surprises?"

"No, it's _not_ like my usual surprises," Rebecca replied, shaking her fork at him. "And don't you keep pressing me about this, you naughty boy. I won't let this brilliant idea of mine be ruined."

Eli was sure he knew what the brilliant 'surprise' was, because Rebecca had a one-track mind, but he gave her the benefit of the doubt, finished his breakfast, gave her a kiss, and headed off to school. He wasn't exactly filled with anticipation, so when he arrived home, parked, and walked into a dark house he was filled more with concern than anything else. "Rebecca!" He called. "Rebecca, where are you? Are you all right?"

Suddenly, slow organ music filled the air, the lights came on, and Rebecca appeared, slowly descending the staircase from the second floor in a big white dress and veil. It was then that Eli realized the whole living room was made up for a wedding. "Oh, my god," he said, running his fingers through his hair and walking over to the sofa to sit down. "What in the world is happening?" But he kept his eyes on Rebecca, and as she approached him, he rose to his feet, and kissed her hand as she zapped a tux on him. "Sorry you didn't have time to change," she said. "I wanted to do this before I lost my nerve."

"You—this isn't _real_, is it?" He wanted to know. "Like, there's not a judge or anything to make this official?"

"Well, no, sorry," Rebecca admitted. "But it's a start, right?"

"Yes," Eli smiled and took her in his arms. "Thank you!" He then felt a few tears running down his cheeks, and when he looked up at Rebecca, she just smiled and wiped them away, asking: "So, do you take me to be your wife?"

"Yeah," Eli nodded, feeling himself start to tear up again. "I do. Whenever you want. And when you're ready, do you take me to be your husband?"

Rebecca nodded. "And I'm-I'm sorry in advance if it takes a long time. It means the world that you're willing to wait for me. I feel like I don't deserve you."

Eli hugged her hard. "Well, the good news is, we don't have to think about that right now. Let's go to bed instead."

"All right," Rebecca nodded. And to her surprise, Eli picked her up and carried her to their bedroom without breaking a sweat, setting her down on the floor and shutting the bedroom door behind them. Then he helped her get out of her dress, she helped him get out of his suit, and after hanging both outfits up neatly at his insistence, they lay in each other's arms for a while, with Eli not even wanting to break the tranquil mood by asking Rebecca if she wanted him to wear a condom (cause he figured that if the neatly hanging clothes comment hadn't killed the mood, a lecture on the necessity of birth control would) until, with an 'I love you' from Rebecca whispered against his earlobe, he sprang into action and ran his hands leisurely over her body, his mouth capturing hers as he felt her arms go around him and pull him close, making it easy for him to slip inside her while she gasped, and then some soft laughter escaped her lips as she whispered his name and ran her fingers through his curly dark hair.


	21. Somewhere You Don't Want To Be

Much to Elijah's surprise, Amanda seemed to have a fondness for Lucy. This made him immensely happy, both because it meant that Amanda, no matter how she acted, would most likely be an intelligent child, and also because it meant that he got to see Klaus and Selina's youngest daughter more often than he had in a long time.

"So, will you be able to babysit again on Friday?" Elijah asked her when she came to their house Monday night. "And if it's an imposition, feel free to say 'No'."

"Actually, I have a party to go to with my friend, Alexandra Croft that night," Lucy replied. "But maybe you could ask Viktor to watch her while Alexandra and I are gone. Didn't you say that they got along well?"

"Sometimes they do," Selina replied. "It depends on the day. Or if Viktor's wearing anything small and shiny that she can put in her mouth." She paused. "So…" she said, choosing her words carefully. "How's everyone at your house?"

"Good," Lucy replied. "Fine. We had Lenora and James over for dinner the other night. He and Damon get along really well."

"That's good," Selina replied, trying to ignore Elijah tensing up. However, it caused Amanda, who was sitting in his lap, to let out a squeal, reached for Lucy, and then gave her father a dirty look when she was safely in Lucy's arms.

"I can't believe you still have trouble with Damon after all these years," Lucy told her uncle. "He's not bad to me."

"Well, I know," Elijah replied. "And I know you can take care of yourself. It's not necessarily _your_ relationship with him that makes me upset."

"Oh, come on!" Selina cried. "I haven't been near Damon in who knows how long. And even when I _do_ see him anymore, it's only because of Sam. Not because I want to have an affair with him. I've learned my lesson on that score."

"Good," Elijah nodded, taking Amanda, who seemed to have forgiven him, back from Lucy. "I hope so." Then he looked down and noticed Amanda was chewing on his tie. "No, no, dear," he said, taking it out of her mouth and frowning at the slobber stain. "We don't want to do that to Daddy's expensive silk tie."

That's why I told you not to wear one," Selina said as she and Lucy had a smile at Elijah's expense. "She's attracted to things that hang or are shiny, and it never ends well."

"I'll try and remember that," Elijah replied as Lucy handed him a napkin to wipe himself off with the best he could.

"No. you won't," Selina replied. "I always tell you stuff like that, and we always end up in situations like this."

"Well, this time, I'll actually try and remember," Elijah said. "I promise."

"So, what are you two doing on Friday?" Lucy wanted to know. "Something exciting?"

Elijah sighed. "Not really. My friend Jasper invited us to this party he's throwing for his son to celebrate all he's accomplished at his company. His son is not my favorite person, but since our daughter Annaliese is dating him, Selina is telling me I have to go and be supportive."

"Oh, stop making me sound like the bad guy," Selina said. "It won't be as bad as you think. You can spend the whole night talking to Jasper after saying a few words to Peter, and then you won't have to deal with him at all."

"I hope you're right," Elijah replied. "There's only so long I can tolerate that boy before I feel myself wanting to wring his neck!" He made wringing motions with his hands and Lucy looked at her mother. "Who wants wine?" She asked. "I know I do!"

"And here it comes again," Elijah sighed. "Damon got your mother drinking and he's made you pick it up as a habit too."

"No, actually I was just trying to defuse the tension," Lucy replied. "I don't need to drink."

"Oh," Elijah nodded. "Okay." He then got up and wandered around with Amanda (who was starting to get fussy), getting some blood from the kitchen and putting it in a bottle for her along with some formula and bringing her back to the living room where he fed her.

"I thought you'd kick up some sort of fuss about having to give her blood," Selina told him. "You're handling that well."

"Of course I am," Elijah replied. "It's not the first time, is it? But thank you."

Then the oven went off and Selina went to check on dinner, which they all ate without incident soon after.

* * *

"You're a brave man," Elijah told Viktor as he came through the door on Friday and Elijah took his coat. "Thank you so much for doing this for us tonight. I know you probably have other things you'd rather be doing."

"You know, Alexandra offered to bring me to the party, but I passed on it, and now I have something to actually occupy my time instead," Viktor told him. "It's really not a problem."

"Well, I hope you and Amanda have a good time," Elijah replied.

"Is he here?" Selina called from Amanda's bedroom.

"Yeah, he is!" Elijah called. "Bring her out."

Viktor smiled as Selina brought Amanda into his sight and she reached out for him. Viktor took her in his arms. "You're very cute," he said, smiling at her lacy white dress. They were nose to nose, and then her little tongue came out, she blew a raspberry, and spit sprayed all over his face.

Selina was about to apologize again and run to get him a towel, but he just moved back a little, grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket and calmly wiped off his face.

"Are you okay?" Selina asked.

"Of course," Viktor replied. "It's not as if she spit acid in my face. I can manage."

"Well, good," Selina replied, grabbing her coat and her purse. "You two have a good night. We should be back in a few hours."

They headed to Selina's car, and she got in the driver's seat cause she knew that if it were up to Elijah, they wouldn't go anywhere. She drove while he grumbled, and when they reached the ballroom where the party was being held, she had to order Elijah out of the car. She headed in first and he came after her, looking very much like he didn't want to be there. However, he perked up when Jasper came to meet them at the door.

"So glad you could come to the party!" He said, shaking Elijah's hand and then Selina's. "Peter's been doing awfully well, and that daughter of yours is just a delight. You know, it's partly because of her that Peter's been as successful as he has been."

"Well, why don't we go and congratulate him then," Selina smiled. "Where is he?"

"I'll show you," Jasper gestured ahead of him and led Selina and Elijah to the center of the room where Peter and Annaliese were being congratulated by Peter's co-workers. Much to Elijah's relief, Peter had cleaned up and was wearing a nicely tailored gray suit, which his daughter's dress matched.

"Sorry to interrupt all the praise," Jasper told his son. "But Peter, Annaliese, look who came tonight."

"Hi, Mom!" Annaliese cried and ran over to hug her mother. Then she held out her hand to take Elijah's. Hello, Daddy."

"You look lovely," Elijah told her. "And when you can get them, I would love to see the pictures from you and Peter's latest trip."

"Oh, you'll love them," Annaliese assured him. "Hawaii was lovely." Then, to her surprise, Elijah gave her a hug before finally turning to Peter, giving him a brief, firm handshake, and saying "Congratulations. I'm pleasantly surprised to see that you're making something of yourself."

"Well, I'm glad that you're pleased," Peter replied. "It makes things a little easier between us, doesn't it?"

"Yes," Elijah nodded. "I suppose it does. Congratulations again." Then he sped away and spent the rest of the might talking with Jasper while Selina talked with Peter and Annaliese until it was time for them to go.

They then got in the car and Elijah drove this time, going much faster than Selina thought was warranted. Miraculously, they got home without being stopped, and went inside, heading straight to Amanda's bedroom, where they heard Viktor singing to her off key.

"What's going on in here?" Selina asked. "Viktor, are you okay?"

"She doesn't want to sleep," Viktor replied, looking very tired while Amanda was sitting up in her crib and smiling at him, seeming to be very wide awake. "This was the last thing I could think of to do."

Amanda then climbed to her feet and smiled at him. "You need to go to sleep," he told her firmly.

Amanda shook her head and stayed right where she was.

"You might as well go home, Viktor," Elijah told him. "I think I can handle this."

"Thank you," Viktor said and hugged him. "Thank you so much!" He then left, slamming the door behind him as Selina and Elijah tried to get Amanda to bed.

* * *

Rebecca stared at the photo of her and Eli in their wedding clothes and smiled to herself as Eli came up behind her and put his arms around her. "Good morning," he said to her. "We take a pretty good picture, don't you think?"

"Yeah," Rebecca nodded. "We do." Then she winced and moved his hands. "Sorry," she said. "I just have a bit of a headache this morning."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Eli replied. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, I can manage," Rebecca replied.

"Nevertheless, have this anyway," Eli replied, taking her arms and kissing her forehead. At that point, things began to clear, as if she'd been in a fog ever since Eli had rescued after her kidnapping and now it had lifted.

"You okay?" Eli asked. "You've been acting weird ever since we went and met your brother."

"I have to confess…I found Declan attractive," Rebecca cried. "I mean it was only in an aesthetic sense, I'm sorry! But I love you. Even so, though, you shouldn't have to deal with someone who's always looking at other men. You deserve better."

"Well, how strong are these feelings you have for him?" Eli asked. "Do you really mean them?"

"No," Rebecca shook her head. "It's purely aesthetic now, like I said, but given my habits, it could escalate into something worse, which is why I'm gonna go and you can be with someone who can give you their full attention."

"I don't mind if you find other men attractive, as long as you don't want to actually _be_ with them," Eli reasoned. "You don't have to go."

Rebecca sighed and put a hand on his face. "When you're a bit older, you'll understand why I did this. I promise. And maybe, by then, I'll be brave enough to come back. I hope so. Goodbye, Eli."

Eli sighed. "You don't have to do this," He repeated. "But if you're going to, can I at least kiss you one last time before you leave?"

"Sure," Rebecca replied. And he kissed her deep, which spread warm feelings from her lips to her toes, and when he finally pulled away, she began to have second thoughts about leaving. But then, she shook her head, reminded herself that it was better this way, then zapped up some suitcases, told Eli 'Goodbye' one last time, then left the house and went to tell Gwen about her decision.


	22. Taking Back What's Mine

"You can't _believe_ how relieved I am," Laura said, coming into Selina and Elijah's house. "Eli and Rebecca have broken up!"

"Well, try to hide your glee," Selina told her daughter. "I'm sure he misses her a lot."

"I'm sure he does, but this is what's best for everyone," Laura said. "Now he can be with someone his own age."

"I don't know what your problem was with Rebecca, cause she wasn't doing Eli any harm, but don't you think you should give it a rest?" Selina wanted to know.

"Why?" Laura replied. "I mean, were _you_ supportive of Gregory when he ran off with Katherine? You weren't, so I don't see how you can expect me to be supportive of a relationship that I don't like either."

Selina sighed. She'd known her behavior about Katherine and Gregory would come to bite her in the butt someday. "I had a reason for disliking Katherine and not wanting her near my kid," she said patiently. "And it was a damn good reason. You don't have the same reasoning with Rebecca. If you can't like her, just don't say anything mean to your son." She rubbed her temples. "My god, it's like talking to your father when I dragged him to Peter's party the other night. Just being civil is not a concept that should be this hard to grasp."

"Well, it is," Laura replied. "And I can't change, I'm sorry."

"So you're gonna doom your whole family to a bunch of really awkward holidays when Eli and Rebecca eventually _do_ get back together?" Selina asked. "That's real nice."

"How do you know they're gonna get back together?" Laura asked. "You don't know that!"

"I'm just preparing for every eventuality and you should too," Selina said firmly. "Now, I have my class tomorrow at the school where your father works. What sort of treat do you think I should have the kiddies make?"

"What about little mini pizzas?" Laura suggested. "That would be fun."

Selina smiled. "That sounds good. And it's probably the most positive thing you've said all day."

"I can say lots of positive things," Laura replied. "Just not about Eli and Rebecca." She paused. "And that's probably why I haven't seen much of Eli lately. It explains a heck of a lot."

"Are you gonna do something about that, then?" Selina asked as she made up a list of ingredients for the mini pizzas.

"I will," Laura nodded. "Just not now."

"Okay," Selina said after she'd made up the list. "Would you get my groceries for me? Or you can stay with Amanda, since you're already here?"

"No, I'll take the groceries," Laura replied and snatched the list out of her mother's grip. "Be back in a jiffy!" She headed on her way and Selina smiled as she went to get Amanda, who was just waking up from her nap. "You scared off another person," she said. "You think you'll stop doing that some day?"

Amanda just shook her head. "No!" She got out and then giggled.

"It figures," Selina sighed, and then took her into the living room where she leaned her against the sofa and she took a couple of steps holding onto the cushion. "Won't your daddy be happy to see you're starting to walk like a big girl?" She asked. "I mean, Viktor, of course, will be terrified, but we all have to grow up sometime."

When Laura came back with the ingredients for the pizzas, she was dismayed to see that Amanda would be in the kitchen with them while they were making them.

"You just don't like anyone, do you?" Selina asked when Laura protested.

"It's not that," Laura said quickly. "What if she burns herself or something? You can't watch her _and_ the oven at the same time!"

"Fine," Selina rolled her eyes, picked up Amanda, and put her in her play pen. "There. She won't be hurt."

"Good," Laura nodded. Then she and Selina practiced making the pizzas, presenting one to Elijah when he came home for lunch.

"Good?" Selina wanted to know after he took his first bite. "I'm having the kids make them tomorrow."

"Well," Elijah moved the food around in his mouth like he was tasting wine, swallowed, and nodded. "Yes, I think so," he said. Then his attention was diverted when Amanda cried out, "Da da! Da da!" Elijah smiled and went to take her on his lap for a bit until it was time for him to go back to class, which Amanda was not happy about.

"We all have disappointments, kid," Laura told her as she wailed. "Learn to deal with them." Then she looked at Selina. "I don't relish being her teacher when she gets older. Gonna be tough to rein in that one under any sort of control."

Selina sighed. "Oh, I hope that's not the case," she said. "But if it is, we'll deal with it."

* * *

"So you mean we won't be seeing Rebecca again for a while?" Elizabeth asked him when Eli stopped by her and Charlie's to give them the bad news and hopefully have a distraction for a few hours so he wouldn't be overwhelmed by thoughts of Rebecca and cry. "What a shame. Mom and I want to take her out again sometime."

"And I'm sure you'll be able to," Eli replied. "It's just _me_ she wants to get away from. So you can have all the fun with her that you want as long as you don't tell me about it."

Charlie studied his brother and then said, "Moving on to another subject, cause Eli probably didn't come here to talk about Rebecca, what do you wanna do, Eli?"

"Oh, I don't know," Eli replied. "Haven't done much outside of my relationships in a while, so I'll have to start thinking of things."

"I have an opening at my office, if you'd like something to do," Charlie offered. "It would be something to occupy your mind, even if it's just busy work."

"Thanks," Eli said to his brother, glad for the distraction. "I think I'll take you up on that."

"You're welcome," Charlie replied. Then, when Elizabeth got up to go to the bathroom, he told him, "If you're upset about this, you can tell me. It's fine."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Eli replied. "I just…I can't think about it now. It's too raw. But I'm sure at some point all the emotion will come pouring out of me."

"Well, good," Charlie nodded. "Cause keeping stuff in isn't healthy, you know."

"No, I had no idea!" Eli snapped. "Why don't you put that on a stupid greeting card!" He then got up and stormed out, getting in his car, and driving away.

* * *

After Eli left Charlie and Elizabeth's, he headed home and went inside, where he was greeted by his father. Edward observed his son's pinched face and tense body and said, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Eli nodded. "I'm fine. What happened between me and Rebecca happened and there's nothing I can do about it." But he sniffled and Edward could tell he was trying not to cry.

"Your mother's not here," he told him. "If you…if you wanna be upset, you can be."

"N-no," Eli shook his head, his body beginning to shake. "I'm fine, I promise. I can manage. I got a job, and I-I don't have to think about her anymore!" But that was when his voice betrayed him, he gave Edward a long look, and then ran up to his room, slammed the door closed, and began hitting his pillow as he tried to stop the tears from running down his face. When he managed to calm down, he realized that there was a message on his phone. He played it, and was surprised that it was from Rebecca.

"Hey, Eli," she said. "I-I decided to leave. I told my mother not to tell you that so you wouldn't come look for me, but she'll probably blab, so that's why I'm leaving you this message. You deserve better than me. Go be with someone else. Go be with Louisa. It's better for both of us. I love you too much to keep leading you on like I have been. Good luck, Eli." He played the message several more times, knowing that he'd never delete it, cause it was the last message from Rebecca that he'd probably ever hear.

* * *

Two years later, Rebecca found herself desperately wanting to go home, and for a very good reason: She'd given birth to Eli's son and really wanted him to meet his father. And she missed Eli too. There was no way around that.

"I have to see Eli about Luke," she told Gwen. "He's two and he needs to know his father. I'm not raising another kid alone again, especially since Luke has seen Eli's picture, knows who he is, and is always saying he wants to see Daddy."

"I don't know about that," Gwen replied. "Eli's getting married tomorrow. To some girl named Louisa. I think you lost your chance."

"Like hell I did!" Rebecca cried, feeling stung even though by getting engaged and married to Louisa, Eli had followed her instructions exactly. She hung up on Gwen, packed up everything for her and her little son who had dark eyes and Eli's dark hair, and said to him, "Come on, sweetie. We have to stop your father from making a very big mistake!"

* * *

With help from Gwen, they managed to make it to the venue in the nick of time. Rebecca then left Luke with her mother while she hunted around for the bride's dressing room, and when she got inside, Louisa turned and said, "What are you doing here? If you've come for Eli, I'm afraid you're too late."

"Oh, I'm _never_ too late," Rebecca said, putting her in a magical sleep, removing her wedding dress (which she had to adjust before putting it on so it would fit right) and then, going down the aisle in Louisa's place, her veil hiding her face so that no one would notice the switch for a few more minutes. When she joined Eli in front of the officiator and it came time to remove the veil, Eli did so and then let out a cry. "What the hell, Rebecca?" He cried as Gwen let out a sigh of exasperation. "What in the world did you do with Louisa?"

"She's sleeping in her dressing room," Rebecca said. "You and I have to talk!"

"And of all the times in the world, you pick _now_?" Eli huffed. "I think it would be best if you left. I got on with my life just like you told me. Please don't punish me for it." Then, he noticed Luke in Gwen's lap. "Who's that?" He asked. "If you've been having children with other men, that's all the more reason to let me move on!"

"He's yours," Rebecca replied. "His name is Luke. I'll let you go on with your marriage to vanilla Louisa in a minute, but first, I need to talk to you. It'll just take a few minutes."

"Fine," Eli sighed. "If it'll make you leave after, what other choice do I have? But after we talk, you are leaving, and Louisa and I are getting married."


	23. Battling Monsters

"Okay, fine," Rebecca nodded at Eli. "That sounds fair. But if you don't mind, I'd like to go someplace more private."

"I can't just leave my wedding!" Eli shouted, looking scandalized. "What are people gonna say? Louisa's parents probably think I'm leaving her at the altar or that I'm some horrible cheat thanks to your little display!"

"Hey, I did what I had to do," Rebecca defended herself. "You know you wouldn't have let me have your attention otherwise."

"Fine, point taken," Eli nodded. "Where do you think we should go?"

"Oh, just on the front steps is fine," Rebecca replied. "Or even a room at this lovely hotel. But I'll give you time to explain to your guests about the delay before we have a chat regarding your son. I'm surprised you're not more shocked about him, by the way."

"Oh, I am," Eli nodded. "I'm just really, _really_ good at suppressing negative emotions."

"You shouldn't do that, you know," Rebecca replied. "You'll make yourself sick!"

Eli just stuck his tongue out at her and then went to explain to his guests that the wedding would still be going on, there was just something that needed his attention first, so if anyone needed to use the bathroom or something like that, they had time to do it. He then went back to Rebecca and he led her to the honeymoon suit, got in with the key, and they took a seat on the bed. "So…" Eli got out. "I have a son?"

"Yeah, you do," Rebecca nodded. "I think he looks more like your grandfather than either of us, though."

"You expect me to believe that you strolled in here on my wedding day with a kid you claim is my son just by chance and it's _not_ a ploy to break up me and Louisa?" Eli asked. "I think you have a lot of nerve."

"I-I love you, okay?" Rebecca got out. "So, _so_ much. And when I left, that was wrong, which is why I came back: cause I knew that if I didn't, I'd lose you forever. I was stupid enough to feel that since you were so caring toward me before, when I left, you would just wait for me, even though I told you to move on and go with Louisa. So when you actually did what I said, it was a bit of a shock for me."

"That much is obvious," Eli scoffed. "But like I said, you lost your chance. We could have had it all if you had just_ trusted_ yourself like I did instead of running off like you did."

"I know," Rebecca sighed. "I get that. And no matter what you think, I didn't come here to ruin things for you. I wanted you to have a chance to meet your son so that if there was ever a time when you were alone, we could all be a family."

"Are you _positive_ he's my son?" Eli asked, his eyes narrowed. "And this isn't just some trick to help your case?"

"I know you don't trust me, and you have every right not to, but I _swear _that I haven't slept with any man since you and I did after our pretend wedding," Rebecca replied. "I don't think I could be with any other man now. It just took two years for me to realize that."

Eli just shook his head and burst out laughing. "You're really unbelievable, you know? Here I am busting my ass for so many years so that we can be together while you look at every other man _but_ me, and now you wanna be a family? When you see that I'm ready to happily settle down with someone else? Well, I guess it's true that someone is only desirable to someone else when another person has them." He paused and got to his feet. "Speaking of that other person, I'm gonna go get married now. Louisa's family is probably worried as heck about where I've gone."

He walked to the door and put a hand on the knob as Rebecca said, "Fine. You can ignore me. I probably deserve it. But at least think about Luke. If I can find a satisfactory person to do a paternity spell, and it proves he's yours, please pay attention to him. Don't make him suffer for my mistakes."

"All right," Eli replied. "When I get back from my honeymoon, we can do all that paternity nonsense, and if it turns out you're not lying, I _will_ pay attention to him. It's only right that I take responsibility in that case. Now can I get on with my life, please?"

"Oh, just go!" Rebecca snapped, resisting the impulse to give him something like horrible itching in an inappropriate place cause that would only make things worse. "It was good seeing you."

"Yeah, it was good seeing you too," Eli spat back, slamming the door behind him and going to meet Louisa while Rebecca lay on the king-sized bed until Gwen found her after the wedding and took her and Luke home, telling Rebecca that Eli was right and she should move on, knowing that Rebecca wouldn't listen to her anyway, and that that Louisa Eli had married was gonna have a lot to put up with in her marriage, courtesy of Rebecca Hamilton.

* * *

"I'm going to go to school next year!" Three-year-old Amanda announced to Viktor a weekend soon after the school year started. "Did you _know_ that?"

"Yes, I did," Viktor nodded. "And I've made sure to tell everyone I know so they can mentally prepare themselves."

"Why do they need to do that?" Amanda wanted to know.

"Because you're a very clever girl and not all kids your age are," Viktor replied.

"Why can't _you_ teach me?" Amanda asked. "Mommy and Daddy do."

"Cause I'll teach you when you're older," Viktor replied "God willing I make it that long." He heard the door open and told Amanda, "There's your mother! I have to go."

"Why?" Amanda asked, not slackening her grip on his hand.

"Because I do," Viktor replied.

"Why?" Amanda pressed. "You always run away from me! Do you hate me?"

"No," Viktor said. "Being around you is a special treat like having a cake on your birthday. If I saw you a lot, it would ruin all the fun."

"Why?" Amanda asked. "No, it wouldn't."

"We'll talk another time," Viktor promised, pulling out of her grip. "Goodbye." He then ran out just as Selina was coming in with groceries. "What happened to him now?" She asked her daughter.

Amanda shrugged. "I don't know. You came and he said he had to leave. I want Lucy to watch me more. She doesn't run away."

"All right," Selina nodded. "It would probably be nice to give poor Viktor a break anyway." She then smiled. "Wanna help me unload the groceries?"

"Do I get a cookie for helping?" Amanda wanted to know.

"Oh, all right," Selina replied. "But only one, and that's it. And you get it _after_ we unload everything."

"Okay," Amanda nodded, smiling big. "It's a deal!"

* * *

When Selina and Elijah were ready to go to bed that night, they came in and were both nearly undressed before they noticed a little bump under their covers. "Well, what do we have here?" Elijah asked as he pulled the blanket up to reveal a shaking Amanda, her face pressed against Elijah's pillow. "Amanda, what are you doing in mommy and daddy's bed?"

"I'm scared of the monsters!" Amanda cried. "Can I stay? Please?"

Selina was mouthing 'No' because this was _not_ the first time Amanda had pulled this little trick, but Elijah caved and said, "Of course, darling. You may stay for tonight."

"Thank you," Amanda said, giving him a hug. Then she looked him over. "Daddy, why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

"Cause we were gonna have special mommy and daddy time," Selina said with a sigh as she prepared to go to the spare bedroom cause Amanda's kicking made sleeping very difficult for her. "But, no chance of that now."

When she had tucked herself in, she heard a knock on the door. "Do you mind?" She called. "I'm trying to sleep here!"

"All right," Elijah sighed from the other side of the door. "I suppose we can talk in the morning."

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "That's a good idea. I think your daughter needs you more now to protect her from the monsters, even though she's a vampire and is perfectly capable of handling imaginary terrors by herself." She then lay her head back on the pillow and tried to calm her breathing until the visions of her wanting to strangle Amanda subsided and she could finally fall asleep.

* * *

The next morning, she woke with the sun and went into the kitchen to make herself some coffee. As she drank it at the kitchen table, Elijah came in, walking awkwardly. "Have a bad night?" She asked him, trying not to laugh. "Amanda kicked you, didn't she? Right in the crotch."

"Yes, and it woke me up quite suddenly," Elijah replied. "Thank you so much for not being a kicker yourself."

"You're welcome," Selina replied. "I do what I can. Coffee?"

"Yes, please," Elijah nodded and sat down. "Amanda's still sleeping. It gets easier for her when the sun comes up."

"But you realize that no matter how much you want to stop her from having nightmares, the solution is _not_ giving her a permanent space in our bed, right?" Selina asked, plunking a full coffee cup down in front of him. "She's never gonna learn how to manage things herself if you're always stepping in and coddling her."

"I know," Elijah replied. "But you know me: I see a pretty girl in trouble, and I just…"

"Yeah, I know," Selina nodded. "It's how you are. I get that. But if you keep letting her have space in our bed at night, when are we gonna have sex? We haven't since she started complaining about the monsters."

"Oh, believe me, I'm very much aware," Elijah replied. "I promise that when she asks to join us tonight, I'll tell her 'No'."

"You promise?" Selina asked. "And you won't let her trick you into spending the night in her room on the floor?"

"You really think she'd do that?" Elijah asked.

"Well, I think that if she knows she's not gonna be sleeping in our room, her next option would be to get you to sleep in hers," Selina nodded.

"And all your worry is genuinely about Amanda?" Elijah asked. "You're not jealous and turning into Laura, are you?"

"No!" Selina cried.

Elijah cocked his head. "Really?"

"Well, maybe a little," Selina admitted. "But I still don't think it's a good idea for her to sleep in our bed as long as she has."

When Amanda came in, rubbing her eyes and clutching her stuffed bear, that's when Elijah told her, "Mommy and I have decided that you have to sleep in your own bed tonight instead of with us."

"But what about the monsters?" Amanda wanted to know.

"Well, you're a vampire," Selina reminded her. "If any monsters come out from under your bed, just tell them you'll eat them if they don't leave you alone. Can you do that?"

"Yes," Amanda nodded. "Thank you, Mommy. I feel better about them now."

"You're welcome," Selina replied as Amanda gave her a hug, and Elijah smiled at both of them, the order in the universe restored.


	24. Crashing A Honeymoon

"I know this is a terrible way to start our honeymoon," Louisa said to Eli as the porter brought the bags in. "But I'd like you to be honest with me: Did you invite Rebecca to our wedding cause you still have feelings for her and are too afraid to say anything about them?"

"Oh, _god_ no!" Eli shook his head. "I had no idea that she was gonna show up, I swear. Or that she was gonna do to you what she did. She just appeared out of the blue after two years of nothing, and that's the truth."

"Good," Louisa nodded. "Cause if you _did_ still have feelings for her, you could have told me and I would have stepped aside."

"No, I don't," Eli shook his head. "But she told me that I fathered a son with her, and I'm gonna have to deal with that when we get back." He smiled at Louisa. "Are you mad? I know this isn't the ideal way to begin our marriage."

"Of course I'm not mad," Louisa replied. "You haven't given me any reason to be, and we'll deal with it when it's time, but now let's focus on us, all right?" She put her arms around him and kissed him and he _tried_ to feel something, _anything_ for her. But somehow he knew that he would never feel things with her in the same intense way he'd felt them with Rebecca.

He then told himself that a physical connection was not the most important thing in a relationship, and to focus on Louisa's other nice qualities instead and kissed her back.

She smiled when they pulled apart. "That was nice," she said. "Don't you think?"

"Yeah," Eli nodded and ran his fingers through his hair. "Of course I do. So…what do you want to do now?"

"Well, I don't know," Louisa kissed his neck. "What do _you_ wanna do?"

"I think we both know," Eli said, one side of his mouth up, glad that they were getting the sex out of the way immediately so he didn't have to spend a lot of time dreading it. Louisa went to undress in the bathroom while he undressed in the bedroom and when she came out to join him, her face was bright red.

"Are you all right?" He asked. "Cause we don't have to do this now if something is wrong."

"No, nothing is wrong," Louisa replied. "I'm just a little nervous is all. But you're so cute that it will probably pass."

"Oh, I hope so," Eli nodded as he climbed in to bed and she followed. Then she stared at him, unsure of what to do. "My mom told me that men are supposed to be in charge of this," she explained. "Of course I know she's wrong, but I'm not exactly prepared to be the most alluring person in the world."

"It's okay," Eli replied. "You look lovely."

"Thank you," she said, and kissed him again. He felt nothing until, after a while, he imagined Rebecca, managed to get it up, and heard Louisa cry out as he went inside her.

"Are you okay?" He asked afterward.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Louisa nodded. "That's it? I mean, it was good…but I expected more, you know. Cause of the movies and all."

"Sorry," Eli replied. "I guess I'm a little tired."

"It's okay," Louisa patted his arm and took off her glasses. "We have the whole trip to get accustomed to each other, don't we?"

* * *

"I hate _everything_," Rebecca groaned as she sat between Elizabeth and Katherine at a bar and the bartender poured her yet _another_ shot of vodka. "Eli's on his honeymoon now with his stupid wife and I bet he's not even thinking about me."

"Well, what are you gonna do to change that?" Elizabeth asked. "Are we gonna all go buy bathing suits and meet up with Eli at his hotel so you can show his wife how much better you are than she is?"

"No, that's just gonna drive him away if I do that," Rebecca sighed. "That's not what I want. I want an actual relationship. I want him to choose me, and I don't want to do any tricks."

"Well, since he's married, you're gonna have to resort to _some_ tricks," Katherine told her. "I've got some that I can show you."

"I don't know," Rebecca said. "It doesn't seem right."

"Come on," Elizabeth scoffed. "He didn't marry her because he loved her. He married her cause you weren't around. If you showed up now, and took your rightful place, you'd be doing him a favor."

"You think?" Rebecca asked.

"No," Elizabeth shook her head. "I _know."_ She nudged her friend. "So, are we gonna go look for him? I'm sure he's in some fancy tropical location, and, no offense or anything, but going on a trip would be much more fun than watching you have way too many vodka shots and then having to drag you home and explain to your mother what happened."

"True," Rebecca replied. "Just so you know, though, if we go, it might be for nothing. He could be so pissed at me that he won't even open the door."

"Or, he might be so happy to see you that he lets you in and all the sexual frustration he's got because of his wife will mean you'll have a _very_ good night!" Katherine countered. "Why are you being so negative?"

"Cause this isn't just some fling I'm having!" Rebecca cried. "This is a man I love that I seriously fucked over, and I want him back, but I have to do it right, and now he's married, and everything just really bites!"

"Sounds like you need to spend some time in the sun," Elizabeth urged. "So, do we go island-hopping, or not?"

"Only if you'll help me pick out my bathing suit," Rebecca smiled as Katherine and Elizabeth cheered and went to tell their husbands and pack their bags, and Rebecca sent Luke to stay with her mother.

* * *

Selina was baking a few days later when Amanda came in and decided she wanted to help. "I taste test," she proclaimed and, standing on a small stool she took from under the sink, grabbed a still warm lemon bar off the baking sheet, regretting the action when it burned the roof of her mouth, and grabbing her mother's hand to spit it out in her palm.

"That's hot!" She said.

"I know," Selina nodded. "That's why you never eat things that are still on baking sheets. Wait until they're on the plate before you eat them." She winced and threw the goo in her hand in the trash and then washed her hands off.

"Sorry, Mama," Amanda said quietly.

"It's all right," Selina replied. "How about we make you a peanut butter and jelly? And do you need some blood? Or did Daddy give you some this morning?"

"He did," Amanda nodded, then watched as Selina made her sandwich. Then, after she ate it, Selina took her to spend time with her cousin Rosalie, something Vivi thanked her for immediately, cause it distracted Rosalie from her on-going feud with Eva-Michelle.

"I don't know how much longer I can live with the two of them in the same house," Vivi said. "We're gonna have to get our own house soon. There's no other solution."

"Is it really that bad?" Selina asked.

"Yeah, it is," Vivi nodded. "Well, actually, we can still control it, so that's good. But there's a reason I had King take her to visit his parents, and it wasn't _just_ because she needs to know everyone in her family."

"I'm sorry," Selina replied. "Believe me, I've been there. If I can do anything for you, let me know."

"Thanks," Vivi said gratefully. "I appreciate it."

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to come to the pool with me?" Louisa asked Eli.

"No thanks," Eli replied, feigning exhaustion. "We just played so much tennis that between that and the heat, I'm a bit worn out. But you go and enjoy yourself."

"All right," Louisa nodded. She kissed his forehead and then left him alone, staring up at the ceiling as visions of Rebecca washed over him. Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door. "Housekeeping!" Called a voice he recognized and was very pleased to hear, even though he knew he shouldn't be. He jumped out of bed, opening the door and smiling as Rebecca stood in the hallway wearing a blue bikini with a rainbow sarong tied around her waist.

"You're not housekeeping," Eli smiled.

"No," Rebecca smiled. "But for someone who's supposed to be on their honeymoon, you look like you need a little pick me up. Can I come in?"

"Just for a little bit," Eli said after a long moment. "I'm only kissing you, there won't be any nakedness, and once Louisa comes back, you leave."

"Wow, you must be desperate," Rebecca smiled. "And if you want to know how I found you…tracking spell."

"I figured as much," Eli replied. Then, he sighed. "I'm on the second leg of my honeymoon and I feel nothing for Louisa," Eli said. "Not physically, anyway. I mean, I've fulfilled my husbandly duties, of course, but it's just…it's not so enjoyable. It's like eating broccoli or doing my homework. Not a horrible experience per se, but something that has to be done." He sighed. "I guess I have to resign myself to that for the rest of my life."

"You wanna feel things?" Rebecca asked, waving Elizabeth and Katherine, who were hidden out of sight, away.

"Yes," Eli nodded, picking Rebecca up, bringing her into the room, and shutting the door behind her, before pushing her up against the wall by the bed, his hands going all over her body. When she felt him try and undo her bathing suit top, she said, "You told me we weren't gonna do anything but kiss, remember? I mean, as much as I would _love_ to be here naked with you, if you hurt Louisa, we'll both be feeling guilty, and I don't wanna deal with that."

"You'd feel guilty about Louisa?" Eli asked in surprise.

"Well, I'd be guilty that I made_ you_ feel guilty," Rebecca clarified. Then, she kissed him again, trying to ignore all impulses to get him aroused on purpose (although, despite her restraint, she could still feel bulging against her leg.) It was then that they heard a voice call out, "Eli? Are you all right? I'm back from the pool! Would you like me to get you something from the vending machine?"

"Go!" Eli told Rebecca, eyes wide. "Go!"

"I am!" Rebecca replied. "Don't worry, she won't see me." She kissed him one last time and gave his butt a firm squeeze before disappearing as Eli collapsed into a chair. "No, I don't need anything from the vending machine!" Eli called, just in case Louisa was still outside. What he needed, more than candy or soda, was the ice bucket, right in his lap, something he hoped he could correct before Louisa came back. Not that she would ask questions. She was _much_ too polite for that. But his conscience was another matter entirely. One he would have to do his best to ignore, cause what had he really done wrong? Nothing, he told himself, even though he didn't quite believe it. Absolutely nothing.


	25. The Destructive Power Of Jealousy

"I think I know what you wanna talk about," Astrid said as she sat down at dinner with her father. "There could only be one thing. My question is, 'Why?'"

"Cause Alexandra and I have been together for a while now, and we would like to get married," Viktor told her. "I've put it off as long as I have for your sake, but I can't do it anymore."

"Why not?" Astrid wanted to know. "Is she pressuring you? Why would you wanna marry someone who pressures you into getting married?"

"No, she has _not_ pressured me," Viktor shook his head. "We still have a while until the actual day. Six months, as a matter of fact. And as she is going to be your stepmother soon, I'd like you to stop thinking the worst of her."

"Why are you acting like I'm the only problem here?" Astrid asked, refusing food. "Surely there are others who object to this lunacy!"

"Well, I can think of one other person," Viktor acknowledged. "But she's too young to be able to do much about it, unlike you." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I know you don't like what I'm doing, but can you at least acknowledge that I have a right not to be alone?"

"All right, you do," Astrid nodded and got up. "But I have the right to ignore you if I think you're doing something dumb, which is exactly what I'm starting to do right now! At least until you think about my poor mother!"

"And here we go," Viktor sighed to himself. "I was waiting for when her mother would come up." Once Astrid was gone, the server came and asked if he wanted a bottle of wine.

"Yes, I do," Viktor nodded. "And apparently, I'll be dining alone this evening."

"So sorry," the short, stout man replied. "Did things not work out with your date?"

"She's not my date," Viktor replied. "She's my daughter. I'm about to remarry and she's not exactly a fan of my fiancée."

"Well, you can hope that she'll come around, huh?" The server nodded. "What sort of wine would you like?"

"Just something red," Viktor replied. "I don't really care what, thanks."

"Coming right up," the server replied and scurried away. Viktor then ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. He'd never realized how much Astrid was like her mother until now, and it wasn't necessarily a good comparison. But he was still going through with the wedding, and he hoped and prayed that Astrid wouldn't come and mess things up for him. But he knew, deep down, that as angry as she was, somehow, she would.

* * *

"I finally gathered up my courage to tell Astrid about Alexandra and me getting married," Viktor told Elijah in the teachers' lounge over lunch the next day.

"You did?" Elijah asked. "And how did she take it? Can I assume that it didn't go well?"

"No, course not," Viktor sighed. "Why do you think I've avoided her for so long? She's as good as disowned me now. She thinks I'm only marrying because Alexandra pressured me, even though there's several months until the wedding."

"Well, that's very surprising and unlike the Astrid I've gotten to know over the years," Elijah sighed. "But you're entitled to live your own life. You should be happy about this."

"I am," Viktor nodded. "I promise. And you and Selina are invited, of course."

"Thank you!" Elijah replied as Selina came in with a cake to celebrate and Alexandra strode in behind her. "And don't worry. We'll leave Amanda at home, I promise."

* * *

"Astrid, I'm proud of you for deciding to go to your father's wedding after all, but do we really need to bring Amanda with us? There was a reason Elijah and Selina didn't take her." Alistair asked six months later as they brought her to the venue when they came for Viktor's big day. Elijah and Selina had left her in their care in the hope that she'd cheer Astrid up, but that didn't seem to be working and now, Alistair realized that Astrid was just gonna use Elijah's little daughter as a way to start trouble.

"Don't you say anything," Astrid warned him. "I'm doing my father a favor." Alistair shook his head and went to go talk to Viktor while Astrid sneaked Amanda into Alexandra's empty dressing room where her dress hung on the closet door, its train flowing along the carpet.

"Aunt Astrid, I gotta go potty," Amanda said. "Can we go now?"

"Not a problem," Astrid replied. "You see that dress there? Use that. I'll fix you up after, I promise."

"But it's not a potty," Amanda said.

"Don't you wanna make the lady who's luring your best friend away from you feel bad?" Astrid asked. "Go ahead and go!"

"All right," Amanda replied, sitting down on the train to relieve herself. Then she stood up. "All done," she said. "I need new clothes, though."

"Well, that's not a problem," Astrid said and zapped her outfit clean. They then left and waited for Alexandra to see what had been done. It didn't take long for her shriek to issue loud and clear before she stomped over to Astrid. "What the hell did you do to my dress? It smells awful!"

"Well, Amanda had to use the bathroom, it was an emergency, and that's where I told her to go," Astrid confessed. "Would you relax? It's not like it can't be cleaned up!"

It was then that Alexandra slapped her. "You bitch!" She cried. "What's your problem? Why are you so keen to ruin this day for your father and me?"

"I think that should be obvious," Astrid replied. "I don't like you, I think you're horrible, and I want you away from my father."

"All right, what's going on here?" Alistair asked. "Anything happen that I need to make restitution for?"

"Your wife had a little girl go to the bathroom on my dress!" Alexandra cried, then ran off to another room. She was nearly in tears.

"Astrid, my god!" Alistair yelled. "Could be any less mature? I thought you'd be able to handle this like an adult!"

"Well, that's what my father would like to think too, but clearly you're both wrong, aren't you?" Astrid replied, giving him a smirk. Alistair gave her a long look. "I'm gonna go fix Alexandra's dress," he said after. "And when you decide to become normal, sane Astrid again, come talk to me. I think you're being childish and stupid, and I'm very disappointed."

Astrid blew a raspberry at his back and then went in search of Alexandra.

"What do you want now?" Alexandra huffed when she saw she had company. "How much more do you need to ruin?"

"Why are you marrying my father?" Astrid asked. "You wanna steal all his money or something?"

"No!" Alexandra cried. "I'm marrying your father because I find him charming and nice and he feels the same way about me. _You,_ on the other hand, I have a very different opinion about."

"Oh, I know," Astrid replied. "Cause I feel the same."

"Why don't you just leave me alone then?" Alexandra suggested, shaking her blonde hair out. "I think that might be best for both of us."

"If you tell my father that you want to call off the wedding, then I'll go," Astrid replied.

"That's not gonna happen," Alexandra assured her.

When they heard Alistair's voice coming toward the dressing room, Astrid disappeared, waiting until Alexandra got the dress on before coming up behind her and ripping the sleeve. Then Alexandra turned around, her mouth wide with shock, and slapped Astrid, and it evolved into something exceptionally nasty that went beyond simple hitting and hair-pulling (although there was that going on too.) When Alistair came into the room, they were trying to cast spells on each other. Alexandra had a pig nose and a tail sticking out the back of her dress, and Astrid had two black eyes, what looked like a broken nose, and was hopping around on one leg because Alexandra had made the other one disappear.

"You're a witch?" Alistair asked Alexandra in surprise. "Why couldn't you have fixed your own dress?"

"It's my wedding, remember?" Alexandra replied irritably. "I shouldn't have to do _everything_ by myself!"

"Well, fine," Alistair said. "Whatever you two have going on is going to have to stop!"

Just then, there was a knock on the door to Alexandra's dressing room. "Alexandra Croft?" James called. "You're under arrest for assaulting the leader of the Witches' Council."

Alistair turned to his wife. "You called James? Don't you think that's a bit extreme?"

"She hit me!" Astrid cried. "Of course it isn't!" It was then that James strode in and cuffed Alexandra's hands behind her back, taking her away, but only after she gave Astrid her leg back.

"Where's Alexandra going?" Viktor asked as he watched her be led away.

"She got in a fight with Astrid, and then Astrid had her arrested," Alistair explained. "I'm so sorry this day is turning out to be a lot more difficult than it needs to be."

"Well, I didn't expect anything different," Viktor replied with a sigh. He then went to calm himself by giving Amanda a long hug before heading out with Alistair and Elijah to bail Alexandra out of jail, with a request to Selina to watch Astrid at all times.

"I'll do what I can," Selina promised.

* * *

In the end, they decided, after Viktor and Elijah had bailed Alexandra out, that the best thing to do would be for them to get married by a justice of the peace with Elijah as witness, so Astrid couldn't cause any more harm until it was too late. Once they were married (the justice ignoring Alexandra's pig features, or just assuming she was quirky), they went back to the venue, and Viktor demanded that Astrid remove Alexandra's nose and tail.

After she grudgingly did so, he made an announcement to everyone assembled: "I'd like to thank all of you for coming to help Alexandra and I celebrate our wedding today. However, due to some difficulties, we decided it would be best to be married in private. We will, however, be having a reception at a later date after everyone has had time to get used to our new arrangement, so all of you, our friends, can celebrate with us."

"Just what the heck happened while you were gone?" Selina whispered to Elijah.

"Astrid and Alexandra have been fighting this whole time, and Viktor just thought it would be easier for him and Alexandra to marry if Astrid wasn't around. That's why I suggested we go see a justice of the peace after we got her out of jail," Elijah replied.

"Well, you just think of everything, don't you?" Selina wanted to know.

"I try," Elijah replied. "And if you don't want to feel like your entire look was wasted, we can always go out to eat somewhere nice after this."

"Sure," Selina nodded, looking down at her purple knee length dress. "Sounds great."

"Can I come too?" Amanda asked.

"Of course," Elijah replied. "If you can behave yourself."

"I can!" Amanda promised. "I'll be good."

"All right then," Elijah said, deciding to trust her as he took her in his lap. "We'll all three go out to eat after this. Won't that be fun?"

"Yes!" Amanda nodded. "Very fun."


	26. Louisa Takes A Stand

"I hope you don't mind," Eli told Louisa over breakfast. "But I told Rebecca I wanted to pay another visit to Luke today. I haven't seen them in a week." He paused. "Unless you wanted to do something; then it can wait. And did I mention that you look very pretty this morning?"

"Thank you," Louisa smiled as a slight blush colored her cheeks. Their sex life was still…difficult, to say the least, but, nice man that he was, Eli soldiered on anyway. "And it's perfectly okay for you to go see Rebecca and Luke. But may I come with you? If he's going to be part of our family, I think I should get to know him too." She paused. "Or would Rebecca not like having me around?"

"What she likes or doesn't regarding you doesn't mean anything," Eli replied firmly. "You're both a part of my life, and even if it's not an ideal situation, I'm gonna do what I can to make it work for all of us. I would love it if you came with me."

"Thank you," Louisa smiled. "Whenever you're ready to go just let me know."

She finished her coffee and then got up to shower, leaving Eli alone at the table, stewing in the usual guilt that had been his constant companion ever since he and Louisa had gotten married. When they weren't struggling to get through sex, Louisa was actually very nice to have around. She was kind, loving, and intelligent, and he had conversations with her that he could _never_ have with Rebecca. And she was cute. Not drop-dead gorgeous like Rebecca was, but definitely not ugly. So why couldn't he just get over the fact that sex was not their best thing and enjoy everything else besides it? He didn't know. And he bet his grandfather never had trouble like this at any point in _his_ life.

He waited for the sound of the shower turning off and then got up from the table, put his dishes in the sink, and went to shower himself before he and Louisa headed over to Rebecca's so that Eli could see Luke. They wouldn't be there for long, Eli knew, but however long they were there would probably be enough, since Rebecca _still_ wasn't too happy about his marriage to Louisa (even though, as he constantly had to point out, she'd _told_ him to move on before she'd left for two years and hadn't even contacted him at all.) So every trip was a trial, and it was just a matter of getting through it. And this time, he had no doubt, wouldn't be any different than the others.

"I could just stay in the car," Louisa told him after Eli rang the bell. "Would it be easier that way? I wouldn't mind."

"No!" Eli shook his head. "You need to stop thinking that you should cater to everyone else. If you wanna be somewhere, go ahead and be somewhere. Who cares if other people don't like it."

"It's easy for you to say," Louisa replied. "You're not the one that has to feel like the third wheel."

"Okay, fine," Eli replied. "Stay in the car if you wanna stay in the car. Or you can come in. I don't care."

Louisa sighed, feeling bad for making Eli lose his temper. "Sorry," she apologized. "I'm gonna come in with you. I'll find some way to occupy my time while you and Luke are playing. You don't have to worry about me."

"No, _I'm_ sorry," Eli apologized too. "I didn't mean to be short with you. This is an awkward situation for everyone, I know, and we're all doing the best with it that we can."

"Yep," Louisa nodded. "I'm sure we are."

Then Rebecca opened the door, her smile tight as she looked between Eli and Louisa. "Well, look who you brought with you, Eli? This is a surprise."

"I thought that since she's my wife, it wouldn't hurt for Luke to know her also," Eli replied firmly. "Now, can we both come in, or not?"

"Fine," Rebecca sighed. "If that's how it has to be, come in." She gestured into the house and Louisa followed Eli inside.

"So…does Luke know I'm coming?" Eli asked. "I really think we're making good progress."

"Yeah," Rebecca nodded. "I told him."

Just then, Luke came striding in and eyed his father. "Hi, Daddy," he said.

"Hello!" Eli replied. "How are you?"

"Good," Luke nodded. "I missed you." He eyed Louisa. "Who's that?"

"This is Louisa," Eli replied, then said, cause he didn't see the point of lying, "She's my wife."

"But what about Mommy?" Luke asked, his eyes wide. "Don't you love Mommy?"

"Yes, I do," Eli nodded. "But it's kind of complicated."

Luke then looked at Louisa with dislike before snapping, "I hate her!" then running off to his room and trying to slam the door but not succeeding cause he was too small.

"Well, that didn't go well," Eli sighed. "I was hoping for better."

"I'm gonna go sit in the living room," Louisa replied. "Or I'll just go back to the car. I _knew_ coming here was a bad idea!"

"And I think you and I need to have a chat," Rebecca told Eli, giving him a look. "Wanna come with me to the bedroom and talk?"

"If we're actually _talking_," Eli replied. "Then sure."

"Oh, we are," Rebecca replied as Louisa walked off. "Let's go."

* * *

"How could you bring her here with you?" Rebecca whispered angrily as they shut themselves in the bedroom for their private conversation. "She's gonna figure out what's going on between us! I mean, if she hasn't already. She's smart, right?"

"Why are you so worried?" Eli wanted to know. "Do you see her as a threat?"

"No!" Rebecca shook her head. "What do you think I am, an idiot? Why would I be threatened by the likes of her?"

"I shouldn't think you would be," Eli replied. "But you seem very tense is all."

"I just…I don't want her in my house!" Rebecca snapped. "And you see that Luke doesn't like her either! Her being around is just making him upset!"

"But if I'm gonna be with Louisa, she has to be part of the family," Eli reasoned. "It's only fair."

"Fine," Rebecca replied, crossing her arms and huffing. "If you say so!"

"Hey," Eli replied, taking her chin in his hand. "Look at me. It'll work out, I promise." Then, he leaned forward and kissed her deeply, but kept his hands on her waist, not wanting to go any lower cause his wife was just a few rooms over, and as loud as Rebecca was, would probably hear anything they did.

But she didn't have the same restraint that he did, and when she began kissing and nibbling on his neck, he could feel himself start to become aroused.

"Do you _mind_?" He asked, holding her at a distance. "My wife is in the next room over! She'll hear us!"

"Oh, my god!" Rebecca cried in annoyance. "What the fuck does it matter anyway? She probably already knows."

"And if she doesn't, I don't want her to find out," Eli replied.

"Is this you trying to keep your conscience at bay?" Rebecca asked. "It's interesting that your conscience thinks that carrying on with me behind Louisa's back is better than you being honest with her."

"I just don't want her to be hurt," Eli explained. "And what she doesn't know won't hurt her."

"Just _tell_ her," Rebecca urged. "It'll take a weight off your shoulders and then we can all move on with our lives."

"No," Eli said stubbornly. "I won't."

"Fine," Rebecca replied. "Do whatever you want. It's _your_ conscience that will eat you alive. It doesn't matter to me." Then she stroked the scruff on his face. "Did I ever tell you you look sexy with facial hair?" She asked.

"Oh, just shut up and kiss me!" Eli snapped and pulled Rebecca into his arms again so he'd be distracted from thinking about Louisa, even if he _would _have to deal with it all sometime. Maybe, if he was lucky, she'd come to her senses, take some control and dump _him_. That would be a load off his mind for sure, even if he wasn't positive she'd take the initiative to do it herself. She just wasn't that sort of person.

* * *

As Louisa sat and watched Rebecca and Eli bond with Luke a short while later, she sighed. She wasn't a fool. She _knew_ that one of the reasons Eli came over here was to see a woman he liked a lot better than her. She also knew that going to join them in bonding with their son was an option, but she didn't want to intrude. She sighed as the slam of a door broke into her thoughts. She then looked over to see a very handsome blond boy (even more handsome than Eli, she had to admit) come into the room, look at Rebecca and Eli with Luke, and scowl.

"Are you sickened by this too?" He asked her. "Maddening, isn't it, that we have to be subjected to it."

"Are-are you talking to_ me_?" She managed to get out, praying she wasn't blushing.

"Well, yeah!" He nodded. "Who else would I be talking to?" Then, he stalked off, leaving her to look at a good view from the back and the inkling that she could do better than being Eli's third wheel after all, an evil scheme forming in her mind that she hoped the disgruntled guy would help with, if not because of her looks, then because of their mutual dislike of Eli and Rebecca's relationship.

She got up to go look for him, and when she found him, she didn't waste time. "Can we talk?" She asked, standing in the doorway of what probably was his bedroom, decorated in black and silver with Harley-Davidson things all over the place.

"Do you often follow strange men into their bedrooms?" He asked, turning to face her as she cleared her throat.

"Well, no, but I just…I think we could be of help to each other," she got out.

He looked her over and smiled. "Really?" He wanted to know. "I don't usually go for someone like you, but what are you offering?"

"Nothing like what you're thinking!" Louisa replied, blushing hard and turning away. "I just thought you could help me show Eli and Rebecca a thing or two, but never mind. Forget I said anything!"

"All right," Robbie replied. "I will…but if you ever wanna go through with it for real, let me know. Cause given the right incentive, I'd be more than willing to help."

"I could pay you, if that's what you mean," Louisa got out, feeling very unscrupulous and unprincipled.

"All right," Robbie nodded and took her hand, writing a number on her palm with pen. "Call me later and we'll discuss payment for this scheme. I look forward to working with you. I'm Robbie, by the way."

"Yeah," Louisa replied, still in shock he was agreeing to this. "Me too. My name's Louisa."

"Good to know," Robbie nodded. "I have to go now, but I'll be waiting for your call, Louisa."

"Yeah," Louisa nodded. "Goodbye. we'll talk later, Robbie."


	27. Not One For Small Talk

As soon as Eli headed off to work, Louisa rummaged around in her purse for the little slip of paper she'd put Robbie's number on (cause of course she knew it wouldn't last long on her hand) so that she could call him. She found it, and then, after casting a hunted look around (even though she knew she was alone), she called Robbie.

"Hello?" Said his rich, deep voice. "Robbie here. What's up?"

"Robbie, it's Louisa," she got out. "You probably don't remember me, but…"

"No, I do!" Robbie replied. "I wondered when you were gonna call."

"You were?" Louisa asked. "Really? You're probably looking forward to the money, huh?"

"Well, a bit, yes," he admitted. "That's not all, though."

"So, how much do you want?" Louisa asked. "And do you want it in installments or all at once?"

"What do you say to half up front and half when we finish this whole thing?" Robbie asked.

"Half!?" Louisa exclaimed in shock. "What if the whole scheme doesn't work?"

"It _will,_ gorgeous," Robbie assured her. "I promise. I'm just that good."

"You better be," Louisa said. "So how much do you want?"

"Well, I know you aren't made of money…so how about five hundred?" Robbie suggested.

"Okay!" Louisa replied. "That sounds like a good amount. I'll call you back after I get it." She then headed to the nearest money machine and, using Eli's code (which he'd given her for if she ever had a money emergency cause he had so much more than she did) got the money out, then, after parking in a vacant lot, called Robbie again. "I've got it!" She assured him. "Where do we wanna meet?"

"I don't know," Robbie replied. "Are you hungry?"

"Sure," Louisa nodded. "I could eat." She told him where she was, and they made plans to meet at a kitschy little burger joint near there.

As Robbie sat eating his cheeseburger after tucking the money in his pocket, his light blond hair falling into his pretty blue eyes, Louisa said, "What makes you so sure you can do what we're doing successfully? Cause you seem pretty sure."

"Would you like me to give you a list of all the girlfriends I've had?" Robbie asked.

"Well, I'm not looking for girlfriends," Louisa reminded him.

"I know," Robbie nodded. "But the process is generally the same. "

"Ah," Louisa nodded. "Okay, so what do we do first?"

"How good are you at just talking to people?" Robbie wanted to know. "It won't be any good to get you a whole new look and demeanor and then realize that you're incapable of doing anything with it cause you can't talk to guys."

"I can talk to guys!" Louisa said.

"Can you _really_?" Robbie asked, disbelief obvious in his voice. "If this is gonna work, you have to be honest with me."

"Okay, fine, I can't talk to guys," Louisa admitted, hanging her head. "I'm woefully inexperienced that way."

"And yet, here you are, talking to me," Robbie pointed out. "So there could be hope for you yet!"

"Thanks, but it's easier with you, you know?" Louisa explained, pushing her glasses back up her nose and pushing back her blonde hair. "I know you're not gonna judge me or mock me or whatever. But random guys at bars or whatever are a whole other game."

"Ah," Robbie nodded. "Can I ask how you met Prince Eli?"

"It started at school," Louisa replied. "We were working on a project and our personalities just sort of clicked. We hung out, and we talked, and even though he was still with Rebecca at the time, I deluded myself into thinking I had a chance. She's a real bitch, that woman."

"Oh, she can be a piece of work for sure," Robbie nodded. "I've lived with it for years cause she's my mother."

"Your _mother?_" Louisa's eyes widened. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Robbie shook his head. "I don't even like her much anyway. Not like I did when I was a kid."

"Wait a minute…" Louisa backtracked. "How can she be your mother? You look the same age!"

"She's a witch," Robbie said, deciding to go for full disclosure. "And my dad is a vampire." Robbie scoffed. "Well, not my dad. The guy my mom had a drunken one-night stand with that I was the result of. And Prince Eli's a vampire too."

"No!" Louisa's jaw dropped a little. "There's no such thing!"

"There is too!" Robbie replied. "But please just trust me. I don't want to have to show you and risk hurting you."

"So I've been married to a vampire for over a year and I didn't even know it?" Louisa asked, her voice low.

"Yep," Robbie nodded. "But don't feel too bad. He probably would have told you eventually."

"Do you think your mom put a spell on him to lure him away?" Louisa asked.

"No," Robbie sighed. "I'm afraid they were fucking each other long before you came into the picture. As her son, it filled me full of shame."

"You don't have to be so crass," Louisa replied.

"Sorry," Robbie apologized. "I didn't mean to offend your delicate sensibilities."

"That's fine," Louisa replied. "Just don't do it again."

"I didn't even listen to my _mother_ when she told me not to swear," Robbie pointed out. "What makes you think I'll listen to you?"

"If you want the other half of your money you will," Louisa replied. "And it's not too much to ask anyway."

"Fine," Robbie sighed. He wolfed down the rest of his burger and pushed her to finish her iced tea before throwing some money down on the table and pulling her out of the restaurant.

"Okay, we're gonna go to a club I know so you can get some practice," Robbie told her as they drove away after zapping her car back to her driveway.

"Wait, you still expect me to talk to guys when I just found out that vampires and witches exist?" Louisa complained. "Have you lost your mind?"

"No," Robbie shook his head. "And werewolves exist too, by the way."

"What about Santa and the tooth fairy?" Louisa asked dryly. "Are _they_ real?"

"No," Robbie shook his head. "They're still fantasy made up for children."

"Good to know," Louisa replied. "That makes me feel a teensy bit better."

Robbie looked at Louisa for a long moment and then changed his mind. "Change of plans," he said. "Anyone at your house?"

"No," Louisa shook her head. "Eli is at work."

"All right," Robbie nodded. "Let's go there then." She gave him directions and when they arrived, he parked in the driveway and followed Louisa inside.

"Now, here is what we will do," He told her. "I'm gonna change my appearance, and you will pretend that I'm a stranger and try to pick me up."

"Are you serious?" Louisa asked. "I don't know about this."

"Just try," Robbie urged. "Please."

He then changed into a man with brown eyes and longish dark hair. Very attractive. Louisa approached him and said, "Um, hi."

"Hello," he replied.

"Nice day, isn't it?" Louisa got out.

"Yeah, it is." He nodded.

Then she froze up. "My _god_ that was lame! Of all the things I could have said, I started with the _weather?_"

Robbie sighed, turned back and put a hand on her shoulder. "You got words out…that's a start. If you would have kept going, something could have come out that worked."

"No, it wouldn't," Louisa shook her head. "Every bit of small talk I can do is crap and just highlights how inept I am!"

"Oh, god!" Robbie let out a breath and ran his fingers through his hair with his free hand as Louisa made note of his hand on her shoulder. "This is gonna take a while, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Louisa nodded. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Robbie replied. "I think we should take a break for now.

"A break?" Louisa cried. "But you can't leave! You just got here!"

"I know," Robbie replied. "But I can't help you if you're gonna shut down like that. You have to work with me, even when it's not easy."

"Fine," Louisa replied and then took a deep breath before saying, "all right, I'm ready. Let's do it again."

* * *

"Eli!" Selina cried when she opened the door to see her grandson on the other side. She noted his rumpled, slightly stained outfit and his untied tie. "What's wrong with you? Are you okay?"

"No," Eli shook his head. "I have a problem. Is Grandpa here? He's the only one who might understand."

"Really?" What's going on? Is something happening with you and Louisa?" Selina asked.

"Yeah, but it's my fault!" Eli burst out. "I'm cheating on her with Rebecca! And it's just cause the sex is better with Rebecca and horrible with Louisa and my _god_, I'm a terrible person! If I talked to Grandpa, he'd just yell at me, probably."

"Well, he would if he wasn't able to relate to that scenario," Selina replied, putting her arms around her distraught grandson. "But he is!"

She called out for Elijah and when he appeared with Amanda in his arms (since he never seemed able to put her down) Selina said, "Tell Eli here about that Susan woman you were married to before you and I got together. You know, the boring one."

"She was not boring," Eli corrected. "We just had no sexual chemistry whatsoever. There's a difference, you know."

"And did that eat you alive?" Eli wanted to know. "Cause it's sure eating _me_ alive."

"Break it off with her then," Elijah told him. "It'll be better for both of you. Of course, I never had to do that cause Susan was murdered by my brother, but you get my point."

"Fine," Eli sighed. "I'll do it."

"Really?" Elijah asked.

"Yes," Eli nodded. "Really, Grandpa, do you think I would lie to you?"

"It makes no difference to me _what _you do," Elijah replied. "It's your life. I just don't want you to be miserable."

"Oh, I won't," Eli replied. "I promise."

* * *

Despite what he'd promised his grandfather, he headed back to Rebecca's the following night. Luke was still wary of him and stayed away, but Rebecca welcomed him into her bed with open arms.

"It's so nice to have you here without your wife," Rebecca smiled as she undressed. "Don't you think?"

"Oh, yes," Eli nodded as she came to join him in bed. "But let's not talk about her anymore, shall we?"

"Yeah," Rebecca nodded and bit his bottom lip, licking the small wound with her tongue. "Let's not talk about it anymore. Let's not talk at all."

Eli nodded, running his fingers through her hair, which was soft to the touch and smelled like coconut as he looked around the dimly lit bedroom. She ran her hands over his stubble again, which sent tingles through his body and made him vow to never be clean-shaven again. He leaned up and captured her lips with his as she kissed down from his belly button and felt himself squirm in anticipation the lower her full lips went.

"Somebody's eager," she smiled.

"Yeah," Eli nodded with a grunt as she stroked him. "Cause I know what's coming."

"Brace yourself," Rebecca advised, her lips sucking him gently as his breathing quickened and he tried to relax.

After he came, he was panting and covered in sweat. Rebecca pushed his hair out of his eyes and kissed his forehead. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Eli nodded. "But I think I'd like to be on top now." He moved so that he was on top of Rebecca and looking down into her eyes before he kissed her deeply.

"You aren't wasting time, are you?" She asked. "You probably have to rush home soon, am I right?"

"Well, if you want me to leave," Eli replied and nipped her neck, slowly licking up the blood with his tongue. "Then I'll leave."

"No, I want you to stay with me!" Rebecca replied. "Please?"

"Oh, all right," Eli replied, giving her a kiss and slipping inside her. "I'm sure Louisa's found some way to occupy her time. She probably won't miss me anyway."


	28. Tainted Love

"You think Luke's ready to talk to me yet?" Eli asked when he went to Rebecca's for another day. "Or do you think he still hates me?"

"Well, is Louisa with you?" Rebecca asked.

"No," Eli shook his head. "And I don't think I'll bring her with me anymore. That was a bad idea."

"Well, time has passed since you brought Louisa over, and if she's not here now, you should be okay," Rebecca nodded. "But I'll get him and we'll see."

"Are you upset that I didn't come over here just to see you?" Eli asked.

"No," Rebecca shook her head. "You and Luke have to get to know each other sometime, don't you?" She then went and got Luke from his bedroom and carried him in to see his father. "Daddy is here," Rebecca told him. "You wanna say 'Hi'?" She then waited until Luke finally nodded and allowed her to sit him next to Eli. "Hi," Eli said then.

"Hi," Luke replied with a smile. Then, he got up from the sofa and ran off.

"Did I do something wrong?" Eli asked. "He was smiling!"

"Oh, don't worry about it," Rebecca shook her head. "He's probably just getting toys."

"All right," Eli nodded, still feeling doubtful. However, a few seconds later, Luke returned with a few stuffed animals, a truck, and some blocks.

"So which ones do you want to play with?" Eli asked, getting down on the floor next to him. "All of them?"

"Yes," Luke nodded, putting a small brown bear in a sitting position on the floor and putting blocks around him.

"And just what are you doing?" Eli asked.

"Hiding him," Luke replied.

"Apparently all his other stuffed animals don't like that bear and so he needs protection," Rebecca explained. She waited until Luke had the tower built and then said, "Why don't you show your daddy your powers?"

"What powers?" Eli asked, looking alarmed.

"You _do_ remember that I'm a witch, right?" Rebecca asked, coming over to play with Eli's hair.

"Yeah, I remember that," Eli nodded. "Of course!"

"Well, then, wouldn't it make sense for any children I have to have magical powers too?" Rebecca prompted.

"Yes, I suppose," Eli nodded. "Like how he got being a vampire from me." He turned. "How have you been managing that by the way? You having been having him eat people have you?"

"Well, of course not!" Rebecca shook her head. "What do you think I am, an idiot?"

"No," Eli stepped back a little. "I just want to make sure you're not doing anything that will bring an unnecessary amount of attention to him since he's so young."

"Well, I've been careful," Rebecca replied, eyes narrowed. "I hope that puts your mind at ease. And now that you're around, _you_ can parent him more yourself, since you think the job I'm doing is terrible."

"That's not what I meant," Eli shook his head. "I just meant that if you needed help with his vampire side, I'm more than happy to help you. That's all."

"Okay," Rebecca nodded. "I guess I could take you up on that sometime, even though I'm very confident about raising a young vampire, since I did it with Robbie too."

"But didn't you ever wish when you were raising Robbie that you had someone there to help you so you wouldn't have to struggle to do it all by yourself?" Eli wanted to know as he put a firm hand on her shoulder.

Rebecca was silent for a long moment and then, when she opened her mouth again, Eli thought she was gonna change the subject, but she said quietly, "Yes. Yes, I did. Sometimes."

"Well, that's what I'm here for," Eli assured her and gave her a hug. Then they were separated as Luke squeezed into the middle. "I wanna hug," he said.

"All right," Rebecca replied as the little family group hugged together before Rebecca looked outside and suggested they take advantage of the daylight to get some fresh air.

"All right, sure," Eli agreed as Luke tried to open the door by hand, then just used his power to turn the lock, allowing Rebecca to open the door. "But I have to warn you, I'm not so good with sports."

"Oh, that doesn't matter," Rebecca said. "We'll find something that we all can do. I promise."

* * *

"I'm very concerned about Eli," Elijah told Selina. "When he first told me about what was going on between him and Rebecca and how Louisa was affected, I just told him he was free to manage his own life cause I really have no place criticizing, but really…I expect better from him!"

"You mean cause every generation expects the future generations to be better than them?" Selina asked. "I know that what's going on with Eli isn't ideal, but I'm sure it'll sort itself out in the end, so there's nothing for you to worry about."

"Yes, I know," Elijah replied. "And I'm sure Laura or Edward will say something in my place."

"If Eli _tells_ them that is," Selina replied. "And with the poor way Laura's handled this, he might not."

"What a shame," Elijah sighed. Selina stared at him for a second, and then said, "Do you need cheering up? Should I come over there and sit on your lap?"

"Oh, all right," Elijah replied and pulled the chair back as Selina came around the table and took a seat, leaning forward to kiss him.

"We might as well take advantage of the alone time while we can," Selina suggested, getting up off Elijah's lap, grabbing his tie, and leading him to the bedroom. "When Amanda gets back, we won't have a quiet minute."

They reached the bedroom, shut the door, and then Selina undid Elijah's tie, her eyes locked on him as he undressed the rest of the way before stripping her of everything but her underwear and laying her down on the bed so he could stare deeply into her eyes.

Then her breath picked up as he brought his head down to kiss her.

"Bite me," she requested when they pulled apart.

"Excuse me?" Elijah asked. "Why would I do that?"

"Cause I like being bitten," Selina replied. "It's a turn-on for me. Please, will you do it?"

"Oh, but darling, I don't know," Elijah shook his head. "I might hurt you, and I can't bear to do that."

"You won't hurt me," Selina assured him. "I promise. Please just do it. I'll only ask this once."

Elijah sighed. "I know you enjoy being bitten," he said. "And I know that I ask you to do a lot to meet my standards and I don't compromise with you much in return, but I just…I can't bite you. Not while I'm in my right mind."

"All right," Selina smiled. "I guess I'll have to wait until the next full moon then. That's when I'll get what I want."

"Thank you for being so flexible," Elijah whispered. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."

"No, but you can _show_ me," Selina replied, giggling as she felt his hands roaming all over her body, cool against her warm skin, in contrast to his lips, which were warm as they went up her inner thigh. She squirmed and giggled as his tongue slipped inside her and swirled around until she cried "Oh, god, oh, god, oh, god!"

Then, they heard a door slam, and Elijah froze. "It's your father!" He cried, sitting up. "Quick! Get dressed!"

"You don't know that!" Selina replied. "It could be someone else!" They waited and then heard a knock on their door. "I'm back," her father announced. "Sorry I didn't say anything before, but Amanda is asleep and I didn't want to wake her."

"Excuse me," Selina said after she put on a bathrobe and left the room to join her father in the hallway. "Did you just say that when you brought Amanda home she was _asleep?_ Please, Daddy, tell me what you did so I can do it in the future!"

"Well, she's just so full of energy that I thought I would have her do modified versions of the drills they had us learn in military training until she was worn out. That wasn't the only thing we did, but it took up a lot of the time." Matthew shrugged.

"You're a genius!" Selina kissed him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Matthew smiled. "You and Elijah aren't scared of Amanda, are you?"

"No," Selina shook her head. "We love her, but…she wears us out sometimes. She probably got that from me."

Matthew hugged her. "Well, that just means she'll grow into someone remarkable, doesn't it?"

Selina blushed. "Oh, stop," she said. "You know how to make a girl blush!"

"Oh, and I'm sorry if I interrupted anything," Matthew apologized as he realized that she was in her bathrobe. "I hope Elijah will forgive me."

"Even if he wanted it, he'd be too terrified to ask for it," Selina smiled. "He's intimidated by you cause he thinks you judge him cause of our private activities. I've told him that you don't, but he doesn't believe me. It's kind of entertaining, actually." She smiled. "Thanks for watching Amanda, Daddy."

"You're welcome, Lina," Matthew replied. He gave her one last hug before getting in his car and driving away, leaving Selina to go back to her husband and assure him it was safe to come out.

* * *

"Maybe you should just try a new look," Louisa suggested to Robbie after she'd freaked out about hitting on the person he'd turned into once again. "Or what if you don't change at all? What if I just try and hit on _you_? Cause we both know that you and I can carry on a conversation."

"Ah, but you've never seen me when I'm 'on' so to speak," Robbie said.

"Oh, and what's the difference between how you are now and how you are when you're 'on'?" Louisa wanted to know. "Really cheesy pick-up lines?"

"Hey, don't knock those!" Robbie countered. "I've lured in many a naive but beautiful woman by asking her if she knew what I would do if I was in charge of the alphabet!"

Louisa rolled her eyes. "Oh, my god, you're serious. Trying to hit on you _will_ be difficult."

"Why?" Robbie asked. "Cause you're intimidated by my good looks and charm?"

"No, because if you give me that alphabet line or anything else, I won't be able to stop laughing long enough to get a world out!" Louisa shot back with a smirk.

It was then that Robbie realized he was perhaps being too friendly with his charge. The goal was not to get him to fall in love with her. It was to make her comfortable talking to _other _guys.

"All right, enough!" He snapped. "No hitting on me. Now, you can pick the looks of the person I turn into, but I'm not getting involved here."

"I think you're being unreasonable and silly," Louisa said. "I thought we were making progress."

"Well, you're wrong and I'm the one who's in charge here, so pick a damn look for me, or I will!" Robbie thundered.

"Okay, okay!" Louisa cried. "Geez, what is your problem? How about short brown hair (light brown) brown eyes, freckles, stocky build?"

"Interesting choice," Robbie replied. "Are you sure that's what you want?"

"Yeah," Louisa nodded. "I was thinking that maybe pretty boys like you aren't my type and that's why this has been so hard for me."

"Fine," Robbie rolled his eyes and took on the appearance she requested. Louisa took a deep breath as he approached her and smiled. "Hi, there," he said. "I'm Tom. What's your name?"

"I'm Louisa," she said. "You come here often?"

"Yeah, I do," 'Tom' replied. "Do you? I think I would have noticed you if you had."

Louisa felt herself freeze up again. She shut her eyes, took a deep breath, and got out, "Nice shirt. Where'd you get it?"

"Just at the mall," he said. "I don't really keep track of stuff like that."

"Well, I like it," she said. She reached out and touched it, running her hands down the soft fabric of the blue and red striped shirt as Robbie tried to control his breathing. Finally, he pushed her hand away. "Okay, that's enough!" He said.

"What's wrong?" Louisa asked. "I didn't screw up that time! I talked!"

"I know and you did well," Robbie acknowledged as he turned back to himself. "I just don't wanna wear you out by doing too much at once. Why don't you take a break-go to the bathroom, get a drink, all that, and we'll try again, okay? With that same look, since you did so well, so we can make sure it wasn't a fluke."

"Oh, I don't think it was," Louisa replied, heading into the bathroom as Robbie sat down on the sofa, still feeling the sensation of her finger tips on his chest.


	29. No Inhibitions

"Okay, so we know you can talk to guys now," Robbie said when Louisa showed up at his house again several days later. "You've conquered step one. At last, we can move on now!"

"What's next?" Louisa asked.

"Clothes," Robbie replied and looked over her brown loafers, cream-colored, oversized sweater, and floor length black skirt. "Seriously, how do you leave the house dressed like that?"

"What's wrong with how I dress?" Louisa wanted to know.

"When you dress like that, do you feel…do you feel attractive at all?" Robbie wanted to know as he walked around her so he could see her from all angles. "You can be honest with me."

"Well, I can't say I do, but then again, that's not what I think of when I get dressed in the morning," Louisa said.

"Well, I think it should be," Robbie replied. "Take that all off right now. I can't look at it anymore. No wonder things were so difficult between you and Eli."

"And you think I should dress a certain way just so I can make him happy?" Louisa asked, eyes narrowed. "I won't!"

"Look, do you want him?" Robbie asked. "Even if you don't, we're getting my mother away from him in any case." He zapped a knee-length, sleeveless red dress on her with a white shrug over it and told her to look in the mirror. "What do you think about that?" He asked. "Would you wear it?"

"Yeah," Louisa nodded. "I guess. And you think Eli will like me in this, even though it shows nothing?"

"Well, why don't you go home and see?" Robbie suggested. "Then come back and tell me, and we'll expand your wardrobe."

Louisa spun around and looked herself over. "You know, this isn't bad," she remarked. "But what happened to my other clothes? I wanna keep them. Where do things go when you zap them away like that?"

"Why would you want to keep them when they're so ugly?" King asked.

"Cause they're my clothes!" Louisa cried. "Just tell me where they are. Please?"

"Fine," King replied and zapped them back. "But if you just wear them and make this whole exercise pointless, I'm not going any further. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I do," Louisa nodded. "And thank you."

"You're welcome," King replied. "Now run along, would you?"

"Fine," Louisa replied. "See you later." She started to walk away and then Robbie said, "You know what? Why don't I come with you? Just to make sure he has the right reaction."

"Oh, no, you don't have to do that," Louisa replied. "I'm sure he'll like it."

"He's cheating on you with my mother," Robbie replied. "I'm making sure and you can't make me change my mind. Oh, and by the way, I think you look great." To Louisa's surprise, he grabbed her and kissed her then, letting her go before acting like nothing had happened and making his way to his car.

She was still in shock and didn't follow him until he turned around and barked, "What are you doing still standing there for? Get your ass in the car!"

"You don't have to yell at me, you know," Louisa shot back. "All you have to do is say 'Please'."

"Oh, all right," Robbie rolled his eyes as he opened the car door for her. "Will you _please_ get in the car?"

"Yes, I will," Louisa nodded and climbed in. "Thank you for being so polite about it."

They drove to her house, saw a black Benz in the driveway, and, after letting out a whistle, Robbie asked, "So is that Eli's car? Could it be he was able to actually tear himself away from my mother and come home to his wife?"

"Looks like it," Louisa nodded. "I can't wait to see the look on his face when he sees my new outfit!"

"And like I said, he better appreciate it or I'll make him," Robbie reiterated darkly.

They got inside, Louisa called Eli's name, and then gasped in surprise as Robbie took her in his arms and kissed her deeply.

"What are you _doing_?" Louisa asked, breaking the kiss and holding him at arms' length.

"I'm raising your stock a little, sweetheart," Robbie replied with a wicked gleam in his eye. "Just trust me and follow my lead, okay?"

"O-Okay," Louisa nodded. "If you're sure." She then let him take her in his arms again and kiss her as warmth spread down her body from her head to her toes, and when she felt his hands cup her bottom, she was surprised that she didn't mind it.

"Louisa?" Eli asked, causing her to pull away and turn to face her husband. "Louisa, what in the world is going on?"

"Oh, hello!" Louisa greeted him. "Robbie and I were just talking and he was kind enough to drop me off after. Like my new dress?"

"Well, yes!" Eli nodded, his eyes wide. "It's not what you usually wear, so I'm a little shocked, but…you look very nice."

"Thank you," Louisa replied with a smile. "Aren't you sweet?"

"Now just a minute," Robbie said, advancing on Eli. "She got herself a new dress, she looks fucking gorgeous, and all you can say is that she looks 'nice'? Try again. I think you can do better. Compliment her as well as you compliment my mother after you've fucked her."

"Robbie, it's okay," Louisa said quickly. "It's really not necessary to go that far."

"Yes it is!" Robbie replied. "You can't just waste your life with this idiot when he gives you nothing! If you were _truly _happy, you wouldn't have come to me, would you?"

"Is it just me," Eli began, "or do you like her too?"

"What, me?" Robbie asked. "I mean, yes, I do like her. You're really missing out on getting to know her. But that's your loss." He glared again, turned his back on Eli, and said to Louisa, "Are you gonna be all right? If he gives you any trouble, you just let me know and I'll take care of it."

"Thank you," Louisa flushed. "But I don't think there will be a need for that."

"All right," Robbie sighed. "But you remember my number if there is, okay?" He gave Eli a pointed look and kissed Louisa one last time before heading out the door and leaving Louisa and Eli to stare awkwardly at one another until Eli cleared his throat and went to take a shower.

* * *

The morning of the full moon, Elijah was awoken by Amanda staring at him and yelling "Wake _up_, Daddy! We have a surprise for you!"

He opened his eyes and saw Selina and Amanda standing on his side of the bed with a breakfast tray containing pancakes, eggs, toast, blood, and coffee. He sat up and said, "What is this for?"

"Just for a surprise," Amanda replied, looking immensely proud of herself. "Mommy cooked it and I helped."

"Well, aren't you sweet?" Elijah asked and took her on his lap to give her a hug and a kiss after putting the tray aside for a moment. "Thank you, darling. With how busy your mother and I are going to be tonight, I need this."

"Where are you going?" Amanda wanted to know as Elijah took the tray back in his lap and began eating and drinking.

"Just to visit some friends," Selina replied. "We won't be gone forever, I promise."

"Where will _I_ go?" Amanda wanted to know. "Can I go see Viktor?"

"No, he and Alexandra are busy tonight," Selina replied. "I think we'll send you to stay with Laura. I'm sure that if you ask politely, she'll give you a manicure and make your hair up all pretty."

"Okay," Amanda nodded and then took one of her father's pancakes. "Are you gonna eat this?" She asked.

"Oh, no, you may have it if you wish," Elijah replied as she began nibbling. "There's so much food here I can't possibly eat it all on my own."

"Good," Amanda smiled. "Cause I'm very hungry."

"Really, Selina," Elijah said to his wife. "You had Amanda help you make all this food for me and she hasn't eaten yet?"

"I was gonna give her something after we gave you your tray," Selina replied. Then she patted her daughter's head as Amanda continued to share Elijah's pancakes. "You want some blood with those?" She asked.

"Yes, please," Amanda nodded after swallowing. "I would like that very much."

* * *

After Selina dropped Amanda off at preschool, she came back and was met at the door by Elijah who was holding a shirt of his out to her while clad in only his suit pants with a tie around his neck. "Put this on," he requested.

"Oh, a little Miss Stinson?" She asked and obeyed his request. "Getting ready for full moon time early today?"

"Yes, well, I don't see why not," Elijah replied. Selina then led him into his office by his tie and then, when she shut the door behind him, said, "It's a shame you have to work late, boss."

"Actually, I've finished all my work," Elijah replied. "But there are other things we can do around here right?"

"Well, yes," Selina nodded, pulling him to her and kissing him. "Like some of that." She kissed his neck next. "And that," and tousled his hair. "And that." She then kicked off her shoes and he picked her up to set her in bed, following her soon after, slipping off her panties, unzipping his pants, and sliding inside her. "It doesn't take a lot to get you going, does it?" She asked.

"Not anymore," Elijah shook his head as he looked into her eyes. "Let's just say I have a very vivid and helpful imagination."

* * *

As it got dark, they dropped Amanda off with Laura, and then headed to Enid's where several people had congregated and were discussing what they would do during transformation time. Elijah spotted Edward and said, "I didn't expect to see you here. When Laura told us where you were, I was surprised."

"I know," Edward replied. "I was too. You wanna come with me when it's time?"

Selina and Elijah looked at one another for a time and then Elijah nodded. "All right," he said. "It wouldn't be any trouble."

When they all transformed, everyone left and scattered in different directions while Vince stayed behind to look after the bar since, as a hybrid, turning was optional for him. Most wolves went in search of prey, but over the years, Elijah had trained himself to do other things. He stayed with Edward until it was nearly time to turn back and then he and Selina rolled around outside for a bit before turning back to their human forms and making a naked sprint back to the bar to reclaim their clothes. Everyone left then, but after some urging from his wife, Elijah and Selina took rooms upstairs and headed straight to bed. "Remember your promise," Selina urged. "You said you'd bite me."

"And I intend to keep it," Elijah replied and kissed her neck before biting down none too gently. Selina tried not to cry out so she wouldn't discourage him and relaxed quickly as he began sucking blood from her. When he was done, she licked the blood off his lips even though it was her own, kissed him, and whispered 'Thank you' in his ear before they both settled down and fell asleep.


	30. Dressing Cinderella

Louisa tried to do her best to stay with Eli, but after he witnessed the kisses between her and Robbie, it was really hard to keep up the pretense of being a happy couple, and they both spent their days away from one another, something that Robbie was quick to notice as he and she picked out more clothes for her.

"Are you okay?" He asked. "Did Eli hurt you again? Cause all you have to do is say the word and I'll beat that lying, cheating jackass to a pulp!"

"No, you don't have to do that!" Louisa cried. "I haven't even seen him for _days_!"

"Good! You can take the opportunity to dump him," Robbie told her, his voice short. "I hope you do, cause you deserve better!"

"But I_ love_ him!" Louisa cried, her hand going to her chest and her face looking scandalized.

Robbie scoffed. "Oh, please," he said. "I doubt you really know what love is, do you?"

Louisa scowled and got right up in his face. "Who are _you_ to tell me what love is and isn't?" She demanded. "Have you ever had a good relationship with a woman in your entire life? I bet you can't even say that about your own mother, can you? Well, not in the romantic sense of course, but…you know!"

"Oh, would you stop talking about _me!_" Robbie yelled. "This isn't about me! This is about you making the stupidest mistake of your entire life by being with the dumbest man I've ever met. Did he even sleep with you? I bet he didn't."

"He did so!" Louisa shot back. "It wasn't leisurely or pleasant, but it happened!"

Robbie chuckled. "Just in and out in a minute and you didn't even enjoy it? That doesn't count!"

"I know where you're going with this and I'm not biting!" Louisa cried. "Yes, it was horrible with Eli, but who's to say you can do any better? I refuse to be another conquest on your rotating schedule!"

Robbie blustered and didn't know how to respond, so he picked her up, put her on the bed and kissed her until her whole body felt warm enough that she began to unbutton her blouse. She struggled with a few of the buttons, her fingers clumsy, so Robbie helped her, and once her shirt was open, he pushed it aside, giving a quick intake of breath as he looked at her stomach.

"What?" Louisa asked. "I know, my body's not sexy, right? That scar from my old appendix surgery just really disrupts the view, doesn't it? Oh, and I have another scar from my weight loss surgery, and my hips are too wide and my thighs are too chubby, and-"

Robbie then put a finger over her lips after touching that scar with his fingers. "Stop talking," he whispered. "If anything is spoiling the mood, it's your damn mouth!" He then leaned down and captured her mouth with his while deftly removing her bra and lightly massaging her breasts. Her eyes were locked on him and she was still blushing like mad, which made him smile.

"Why are you so embarrassed?" He asked. "Did you blush that red with Eli, too?"

"Well, no, of course not!" Louisa barked. "Cause with him, I never felt like this, with tingles all over my body, and my whole panty area feeling like I just got out of the tub. What the hell are you doing to me?"

"It's called arousal," Robbie replied, running his finger down her stomach an stopping at the waistband of her long skirt, which he removed as Louisa breathed in quick, panting breaths. "Basically, I'm getting you really worked up." He then gently rubbed the fabric of her panties against her core and a cry escaped her lips as she spread out her legs a bit and opened herself up to his touching. "Oh, god," she got out. "Oh, my god, Eli…Eli really let me down, didn't he?"

"Oh, in more ways than one," Robbie nodded. "Do you want me to stop? Or do you wanna go all the way to the end of this ride?"

"Oh, no!" Louisa protested. "You can't just leave me like this! Keep going!"

"As you wish," Robbie nodded, giving her a grin that caused her to go warm again. Then, he got out of bed and stripped directly in her line of vision.

"I think you wanna murder me, don't you?" Louisa asked as she squirmed. "Yeah, I really think you do!"

Then, fully naked, he came over to the bed and climbed in with her again, cradling her face with his hands, running his fingers through her loose blonde hair, and giving her a long look before he asked, "Do you trust me?"

"I don't know," she asked quietly. "Should I?"

"I think you can," he said. "You're strong, you're beautiful, you're everything. Everyone else is just too stupid to notice."

Louisa smiled. "Oh, you," she got out. "Kiss me again, please. Would you?"

"Yeah," Robbie nodded, "I think I will." He then leaned down to kiss her while easing inside her and holding onto her tight as she came with laughter rather than a scream, looking at the sparkle in her eyes and seeing a woman who had just begun to really live, and hopefully wouldn't go back to how she had been.

* * *

The next morning, Louisa was awakened by the feeling of Robbie's warm lips against her neck. When she turned to face him, they both shot up in bed. "Good morning," She got out after a bit, then swallowed her spit wrong and began coughing.

"Good morning," Robbie nodded as he pounded on her back. "I hope you don't mind, but I have a…thing to do, so there'll be no cuddling."

"Oh, that's perfectly understandable," Louisa nodded and got out of bed, pulling the sheet along after her to conceal her body from Robbie while looking away from his bare and perfect one. "What we did last night…it was okay, once, you know. Just to get it out of our systems, but I don't think we need to do it again."

"I agree," Robbie assured her. "Let's just go back to the normal plan and not speak of this again." He looked up at Louisa and she smiled. "Don't think I'm paying you extra for last night, though."

"All right," Robbie replied. "I won't charge you for the sex. We'll just consider it a fun little freebie." He paused. "I was better than Eli, wasn't I?"

"Well, _anyone_ is better than Eli," Louisa said. "Well, at least to me. I'm sure your mother is enjoying him immensely."

"And that's _good_!" Robbie exclaimed. "In a way. The fewer distractions we have, the quicker this process will go."

"Unless…" Louisa pointed out, "our most challenging distraction will be each other. Do you think that will be a problem?" She winked.

"I'll try not to be a problem for you if I can get the same guarantee from you," Robbie replied. "You promise?"

"Yes," Louisa nodded and stuck out her hand. "I do."

Robbie shook her hand, and then urged her to remove the sheet. "You don't have to be self-conscious," he reminded her. "I've already seen everything you've got."

"I will once you put some pants on," Louisa promised.

Robbie rolled his eyes and picked up his pants, which were wadded in a ball on his side of the bed and put them on before facing Louisa again. "Better?" He asked.

"Yes," Louisa nodded and dropped the sheet as Robbie drew her into his arms again. "Last night…last night was just…_wow!"_ He confessed.

"I thought we weren't gonna talk about last night," Louisa replied and ran her finger over his bottom lip. "I thought it was back to business as usual."

"Well…I've decided I wanna delay that a bit longer," Robbie told her. "Why don't you come in the shower with me? We'll be saving water!"

"Oh, all right," Louisa sighed, trying not to bring up her imperfect thighs and hips again. He didn't seem to care about flaws in her body, so what was the point in bringing them up again?

They got in the shower and gave each other a very thorough scrubbing (and a little more than that) before getting out, drying off, dressing, and heading to the mall to continue building Louisa's wardrobe.

"What do you think about contacts?" Robbie asked as he held up a blue shirt for her inspection.

"I tried to wear them once before I discovered I have a real issue with sticking my fingers in my eyeballs," Louisa explained. "So no contacts." She paused. "_However_, I _would_ be more than happy to get more colorful frames. And I _do_ like that shirt."

* * *

By the time Robbie dropped Louisa off at home for lunch, she had new glasses with bright blue frames to match her eyes (which he'd zapped up for her to save time) a new purse, and several new skirts and blouses. She'd even gotten a couple of pairs of jeans, which Robbie had never seen her wear before. She'd put on one of the pairs after they'd left the store, marveling at how good they felt, and how nice it was to be able to sit however she damn well pleased.

When they got back to her house, they discovered Eli was home again. "You wanna wait until he leaves?" Robbie asked Louisa when he noticed Eli's car.

"Oh, hell no!" Louisa shook her head and pulled her hair out of its tie, shaking it out before getting out of the passenger side and striding purposefully into the house while Robbie came in behind her, trying to keep his eyes from gawking at the remarkable things the jeans did for her bottom. "Eli! She called to her husband after grabbing Robbie's hand. "You here? It's nice to see you could pull yourself away from Robbie's mother and be here with me once in a while!"

"Actually," Eli called as he made his way toward her. "I came home for lunch from work, but—" When he got a good look at her, he was so surprised he dropped the bag of blood he was carrying. "What the hell happened to you?" He asked. "You look…different."

"You think?" Louisa retorted. "Thank you for noticing!"

"And I never…I never noticed how blue your eyes are," he continued. "You know, I really don't _have_ to go back to work today, so you and I could-" He then scowled at Robbie when he noticed he was staring. "Do you _mind?_" He asked.

"Fine, I'll go," Robbie replied. "Listening to you speak makes it hard for me to keep my breakfast down anyway." He then strode off, leaving Eli and Louisa alone.


	31. A Revelation

"I ran into your son the other day at my house," Eli told Rebecca. "Apparently, he and Louisa are chummy now. He bought her an entire new wardrobe and everything. She looks _gorgeous_ now!" He paused. "Though not as pretty as you, of course."

"Well, how kind of my son to entertain your wife while you and I have our fun," Rebecca replied. "First useful thing he's done his entire life."

"Oh, I'm sure he's done other useful things besides that," Eli replied.

"No, not really," Rebecca shook her head. "Can we talk about something else?"

"Oh, sure," Eli nodded. "Whatever you want."

A new subject presented itself when Luke wandered in needing help with his juice box, and wanting to visit his uncle. "Mommy, Daddy, I wanna see Uncle Charlie!" He requested.

"All right," Eli said as he took his son in his lap, took the juice box from him, and stuck the straw in the hole. "We'll take you to see your uncle and Aunt Elizabeth as soon as we can, okay?"

"Why not now?" Luke wanted to know.

"Cause your father and I are busy," Rebecca replied. But Luke insisted and after Eli pointed out that there was the option to drop Luke off without them having to stay, they were on their way to Elizabeth and Charlie's with Luke and Eli sitting in the backseat while Rebecca drove.

Because they hadn't called first, Eli was sure that Elizabeth and Charlie wouldn't be able to see them, but Charlie invited them in right away.

"We have to fumigate in my office building, so I'm off for a few days," Charlie explained as Luke gave him a hug. "And you brought him at a good time. Mom's coming to visit."

"We'll be out of the way then," Eli said. "I know how much Mom doesn't like me at the moment."

"Oh, she'll get over it," Charlie promised. "If she got past my being with Elizabeth, she can get over anything."

But when the front door opened and they heard Laura call out, Eli grabbed Rebecca's hand and they split before Laura could see them and scream, yell, and complain about how her sons were hurting her by picking women to date that she couldn't stand, and how she should have just picked someone for them like her father had done for her.

"You think your mom will _ever_ forgive me?" Rebecca wanted to know as they got back to her house and were stripping off their clothes.

"Maybe when we get married she will," Eli guessed. "But I don't know how long that will be."

Rebecca sighed. "I wish it would be soon," she said. "I know it might seem like I enjoy sneaking around like this, but I hate it."

"Oh, I don't enjoy it either," Eli replied and pulled her to himself. "But it's all we have for now, so we might as well take what we can."

"Yeah, I guess," Rebecca sighed as Eli carried her to bed. "Things went so well between us, but I ruined it."

"You had your reasons," Eli comforted her and gave her a kiss. "I don't blame you at all."

"You might not, but I blame myself plenty," Rebecca sighed. "I mean, Robbie and Louisa probably have a better relationship than we do. Not on the sex front, of course. But at least they can be together."

"So can we," Eli replied. "Now stop talking. There's no need to get yourself so worked up."

"I know," Rebecca replied, running her tongue over her lips as he nipped at her neck. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Eli replied as he slipped inside her. "Soon, it will all be okay."

* * *

"So, would you be angry with me if I told you about all the feelings I've been repressing that would lead me to punch Eli in the face?" Robbie asked Louisa.

"You don't have to," Louisa replied. "He never did anything to you."

"I know!" Robbie replied. "But what about _you_? How could he have you around and just…cheat on you with my mom?"

"I don't blame him, really," Louisa replied. "I wasn't as good a wife as I should have been…in the bedroom or anywhere else."

"Now you stop that!" Robbie ordered, taking her chin in his hand so she had to look him in the eye. "As we both know, you're wonderful in bed…you just need a competent bed mate to bring it out."

"Well, it was easy to say we had a good time the other day," Louisa sighed. "You were seducing _me!_ If I was in control, I bet things wouldn't go anywhere."

Robbie's eyes twinkled wickedly. "We'll just have to test that theory, won't we?" He asked. He waggled his eyebrows and crossed his arms. "Well?"

"You mean you want me to do it _now?"_ She asked, going to sit on her and Eli's couch. "It's a-a little quick, don't you think?"

"Why?" Robbie asked. "If you're shy about your body, you don't need to be. I love everything you've got, remember?"

"Well, okay," Louisa replied. "But don't you dare laugh!"

"All right," Robbie replied as she turned on music, grabbed him, put his hands on different spots on her body and shook his hips a little before letting him go to dance alone as she stripped off her clothes and threw them on the floor. Then, when she was naked, she sashayed over to the bed and climbed in with him, giving him a long kiss, which then led to him slipping inside her.

"So?" She asked. "How did I do? Be honest."

"Well, you clearly did well enough," Robbie replied. "It was a better first effort than I expected of you, but I could still tell you were a little uncomfortable. You did well, but you were trying too hard."

"Oh, sorry," Louisa apologized.

"You don't need to feel bad!" Robbie said quickly. "Like I told you, it was a good first effort for someone who's fairly new to sex."

"Well, I'll take that," Louisa smiled. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Robbie replied.

* * *

Her second chance for seduction came a few days later. Robbie was in the middle of his shower when the doorbell rang in the specific way Louisa rang it when she was coming to visit. Feeling very wicked, Robbie got out of the shower, tied a towel around his waist, and then went to answer the door.

When Louisa got a glimpse of him, her jaw dropped and she tripped over the threshold, falling forward and knocking him backwards onto the carpet so that he was lying on his back and looking into her deep blue eyes, which looked very wide behind her glasses. He expected her to apologize and get to her feet immediately, but she didn't. Instead, her face changed as if she'd just had a revelation, and she leaned her head down to kiss him, pushing herself up a little so that she could slide one hand down his bare chest, and then, when her hand was brushing the knot holding the towel together, she got on her knees and, he was sure, smirked at him before slowly undoing the knot.

"Are you…Louisa, are you okay?" He wanted to know. "What's going on?"

"Well, I figure I already fell on top of you," Louisa replied. "Why let such a good opportunity go to waste? Wasn't that what you were planning when you opened the front door in just a towel?"

"But it was only a joke," Robbie replied. "I wasn't really expecting…"

"I know you weren't," Louisa replied. "But this is much more natural, isn't it? Just like what you wanted." She then straddled him and took off her blouse and her bra. "Where would be the best place to continue this?" She asked. "Surely not the front entryway?" She got up off him, slipped off her panties, kicked off her shoes, and then pulled Robbie to his feet, making the towel slide off. Louisa grinned again and took his hand to lead him to the bedroom.

"Have you been drinking?" Robbie wanted to know. "Cause this…this seems like it just came out of nowhere."

"Not really," Louisa replied. "You've taught me well. Don't you think it's time I showed you I learned something?"

"Oh, yes, please," Robbie replied, knowing the tricks she had in her arsenal. "Show me all that you know. And there's no need to rush it either."

"Oh, I won't," Louisa replied. "It'll take time. It might take me a few times to get some things right."

"I don't mind," Robbie shook his head as she shut the door. "Take all the time you need."

* * *

"I can't say enough how happy I am that you invited Alexandra and me over to watch the recording of that production of _The Flying Dutchman_ that you have," Viktor thanked Elijah. "I've missed your company over the last several days. Will Selina be joining us?"

"Oh, yes," Elijah nodded. "She likes stuff like this, you know, ghosts and such things."

"Wonderful," Viktor said.

When Selina got home from the grocery store and put the stuff in the fridge, they set up the movie and watched it until Amanda came in and announced she couldn't sleep, even though she was supposed to be taking her nap.

"Here, you can watch the movie with us," Viktor invited her onto his lap. "It will make you sleepy. I promise."

"Okay, what is it?" Amanda wanted to know.

"It's an opera with lots of ghosts and monsters," Viktor replied.

"Really?" Amanda asked eagerly, looking even _less _like a person who needed to take a nap than she had a few seconds before. But when she realized that the entire opera was in German, her enthusiasm for it quickly waned, ghosts or no ghosts.

"I'm _bored_," she complained with a yawn. "Can't we watch something else? They aren't even saying words!"

"Yes, they are," Elijah replied. "They're speaking German. Aren't you supposed to be taking a nap now?"

"I guess," Amanda huffed, got up off Viktor's lap, and strode off to her room.

"That got her off to sleep without a lot of fighting," Selina commented and leaned against Elijah as he put his arm around her and kissed her hair. "I knew it would work."

After the movie was over and Viktor and Alexandra had gone, Elijah and Selina went to his office to make out, shutting the door behind them.

"Are you sure-are you sure we're not getting in the way of your work?" Selina asked as Elijah kissed down her neck and on the skin that was exposed by her low cut blouse. "Cause we wouldn't want to get in the way of your work."

"No," Elijah shook his head and kissed her. "There'll be no working today. I'm not in the mood." He held her close against himself and got her bra off before lying her down on the sofa bed, which was always pulled out for occasions just like this.

Things quickly went beyond making out and soon, he was buried deep inside her as she ran her fingers through his hair and let out panting breaths. "Are you sure the door is locked?" She asked. "I know it's a little late to ask that now, but…"

"Even if it's not, Amanda knows to knock if the door is closed and she comes looking for someone in here," Elijah said firmly. "I taught her that, and fortunately, she listened."

"Good," Selina nodded. They stayed in bed for several more minutes, and then Elijah backed out and rolled beside her. "We should probably check on our daughter," he said.

"Yeah, good idea," Selina replied as they both dressed. When they were both fully clothed, there was a knock on the door. "Yes?" Elijah asked.

"My nap time is done!" Amanda called. "You have to open the door because I'm short!"

"All right," Elijah replied as he opened the door and Amanda ran into his arms. "How was your nap?"

"Okay, I guess," Amanda replied. "But I'm glad it's over. What should we do now?"

"Let's go outside," Elijah suggested. "I think you need the fresh air." He turned to Selina. "Wanna come?"

"Sure," Selina replied. "Lead the way."


	32. Be A Little Bold

"Do we _have_ to do this?" Laura complained to Edward just before their younger son came to visit. "Eli is an adult now. We should let him do what he wants and I see no reason why we have to be involved."

"And that is exactly why we need to have him over," Edward said firmly. "I don't want to avoid Eli anymore, and I don't know what's gotten into you ever since Eli got with Rebecca! Your father was more tolerant of us than you're being of Eli."

"Well, I just find it shameful that our son is having an affair with a woman he's not married to," Laura explained.

"You hated her even before he was married and with someone else," Edward pointed out. "What's the problem?"

"She treated him horribly, you know," Laura replied. "And so when he got with Louisa, I was happy because I thought he'd finally be with someone who actually cared for him even if she was a little…dull. And now that's all been ruined!"

"Well, you can't hate them entirely," Edward reasoned. "You love that little son of his."

"Why should I blame Luke for Eli's bad choices?" Laura wanted to know. "I'm not completely unreasonable."

"I think I would disagree," Edward replied. "Can you just…promise to try? I know I've asked you before and you've promised and it hasn't worked out, but can it this time?"

"Fine, I will try to be civil," Laura promised.

Just then there was a knock at the door and both Laura and Edward went to answer it.

"Hi, Mom, hi, Dad," Eli greeted them as he stepped into the house. "Thanks for inviting me over. It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

"Well, we've all been busy," Laura pointed out. "How's Luke?"

"Rebecca says he's good," Eli replied. "And he seems like a really good kid."

They lapsed into silence before Edward whispered in Laura's ear, "Ask about Rebecca."

"Fine," Laura rolled her eyes. "Eli, how is Rebecca?"

"As well as she can be, I think," Eli replied. "I don't see her very often."

"What about Louisa?" Laura pressed.

"She's good too," Eli answered. "She's been spending lots of time with Rebecca's son Robbie and I think it's been good for her."

"It's nice to see that she's spent time with someone who actually cares," Laura got out and then regretted it as Edward frowned deeply. "I mean-"

"Never mind, you don't have to apologize," Eli assured her as they all three sat down. "I know that what's going on between me and Rebecca isn't ideal, and is a disservice to Louisa, but…we'll get it sorted out eventually."

"Well, I should hope so," Laura replied. "And you should let Louisa go."

"I know, I plan on it," Eli got out. "I promise, Mom."

"Good," Laura nodded and then got up. "Want something to drink?"

"Sure," Eli nodded. "Whatever you have is fine."

"I'll go help her with it," Edward volunteered. When they reached the kitchen, he started in on her. "I thought you said you were going to try and be nice to Eli!" He said. "Laura, what in the hell is wrong with you?"

"I-I don't know," Laura got out. "Honestly. My plan was to be nice, but then you made me ask him about Rebecca when I don't really care much for her and all the civility I had in me just went right out the window. Maybe it would be best if I didn't talk for the rest of Eli's visit."

"Maybe that _would_ be best," Edward nodded and got out the first drink he could reach from the fridge, which was lemonade and poured some in a tall glass. "Do you…do you _want_ to alienate our son so that he never talks to you again? Is having your way about the people he dates _that_ important to you? I think we raised him well enough that he _knows_ that the situation he's in with Louisa and Rebecca isn't ideal and he's gonna do the best he can to fix it."

"Yeah, I know," Laura nodded. "I have no idea why this is such a problem for me even when I try to behave myself."

"Well, just get through the next couple of hours," Edward sighed. "And then maybe you can go talk to your father tomorrow and see if he can help you."

"Yeah," Laura nodded. "I think I might. I can't go on like this."

"No," Edward shook his head. "You can't. And remember, when we get back to the living room, no talking. Just smile and nod."

"I got it," Laura nodded. "Let's just get this over with."

They then went into the living room and had a chat with Eli that was mostly Rebecca free (except where Luke was concerned) so Laura didn't have too many problems, but she called her father to make plans to see him the next day anyway.

* * *

"I need help," Laura admitted to her father as he led her to the chair on the other side of his desk an hour or so after he got home from teaching.

"Am I correct in my assumption that you're still having problems with Eli?" Elijah wanted to know as they sat down. "Because I'm worried about him too."

"I know, right?" Laura nodded as she sat down in the chair across from him. "Who'd have thought that my youngest son would do something like this? I'm ashamed. I thought Edward and I raised him better than that."

"Well, now, sometimes things get complicated," Elijah replied. "It's no one's fault, but it happens. If I hadn't strayed from my romantic path, you wouldn't have been born."

Laura sat forward. "Really?" She asked, so stunned that she didn't even care that he sounded somewhat like Edward. "I mean, I knew _Mom_ had issues like that…but _you_? Wow!"

"I know exactly what Eli is feeling," Elijah replied. "I loved your mother, but I had to send her away and be with someone else, so when we met again, I wasn't available. But I persevered, I suffered, I stayed awake nights, and soon, although it was under very unfortunate circumstances, I was able to pursue your mother with a clear conscience." He leaned forward. "So…do you think you can cut Eli a break, dear? I bet he knows that what he's doing is wrong and if there was any other way, he would take it, but…"

"I'll try," Laura promised. "I mean, I might fail at first, but I'll try. Maybe it'll be easier now that I know the same thing that's happening with Eli happened to you."

"Good girl," Elijah smiled. "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks," Laura replied. "I know I've been a bit of a pill lately and I want it to stop, which is why I came to see you."

"I hope I helped," Elijah told her. "And if you ever need to talk anymore, you know I'm here." He paused. "Since you haven't been here long, would you like to stay for a while? I'm sure that your mother has some kind of treat lying around."

"Well, thank you," Laura smiled. "I'd like that very much."

* * *

As they sat eating cookies in the kitchen, Laura gave Eli a call between bites.

"What's going on?" He asked. "I'm not with Rebecca, if that's what you're worried about."

"No, I didn't call about that," Laura replied. "In fact…I called to apologize about the way I've been acting lately. I know you probably are as upset about this mess as any of us, and my being a raging bitch probably just makes it worse, doesn't it?"

"Well, I can't say it doesn't hurt me a bit," Eli admitted as Elijah raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying that you're gonna _stop_ being a raging bitch?"

"Yes," Laura nodded. "I am. I trust that you have your whole situation under control, and even if you don't, it's not any of my damn business, is it?"

"Well, I wouldn't turn down any help you can offer, but if all you're gonna do is chide, then yes, it's none of your business," Eli replied. "Thanks…thanks for apologizing."

"You're welcome," Laura replied. "I guess if I can tolerate Katherine, I can tolerate Rebecca. I did once."

"Yeah, you did!" Eli cried. "Just hang on to that."

"I will," Laura promised. "Goodbye."

"Well, that was a sweet little message," Elijah replied. "Was the swearing really necessary?"

"Yes," Laura nodded. "To illustrate just how problematic my behavior has been."

"Well, all right then," Elijah replied. "I guess I can't argue with that."

"No," Laura sighed and reached for another cookie. "Unfortunately you can't."

* * *

"I've made a decision," Robbie informed Louisa a short time later as they sat in his living room.

"You have?" Louisa asked. "It's not that you decided to quit all this, is it? Cause there's still so much we need to do!"

"Of course I haven't decided to quit!" Robbie replied, feeling shocked. "Not after that thing you pulled with knocking me over in the entryway. That was real progress! We can't give up now. I've decided to give all control over to you." He grinned. "Let you take the reins for a bit."

"Really? Cause you know, the entryway thing was a complete accident," Louisa protested. "I can't do anything on purpose!"

"Just try," Robbie encouraged. "Please?"

"Well, all right," Louisa replied. "But you might not get your money's worth." She thought a moment about what to do and then went into his bedroom and opened the drawer on his night stand, rooting around among the handcuffs and other play things for a blindfold as he stood behind her.

"Shut your eyes," she said as she turned to face him. "You don't get to look at me when we do what we're gonna do."

"Oh?" Robbie grinned as he got in bed and she tied the blindfold. "I'm intrigued."

"Don't be," Louisa replied. "I'm not being kinky. This is about my nerves."

"I hope you aren't nervous with me," Robbie replied. "Do whatever you want. I'll like it."

She then grabbed another bit of fabric to tie his wrists, tied it around her hair until she got him undressed, and then got up to shut off the light then carefully made her way back to the bed, grateful that she didn't stub her toe in the dark and wreck the mood.

She undressed him and ran her fingers over his body, applying pressure in different places, which made him moan, a sound that shot electricity through her body even though she was supposed to be seducing _him._

It took her awhile to get up the courage to go between his legs, but from what she felt, the rest of what she'd done had aroused him plenty. She applied the same massaging motion as before as she worked her way down his shaft and then tentatively leaned forward and put her lips around it, sucking gently until he jumped and cried out, "What the fuck? I wasn't expecting that!" Then he hit his head on the headboard and swore again. She quickly pulled away, jumped off the bed, turned on the light, and apologized profusely while watching him massage the bump on his head. "Are you okay?" She asked. "Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. I thought things were going so well! I _knew_ that engaging your man parts was too advanced for me!"

"You're kidding, right?" Robbie looked at her in genuine shock as she untied him. "You were doing so fucking great! I was just surprised cause I didn't expect you to be so bold this early."

"I gave it a shot," Louisa shrugged. "Didn't work out so well, though."

"Try it again," Robbie urged. "I'm afraid I have to insist. Now that I know that you're gonna do it, it'll go better and my shock won't ruin things. You think you can?"

"Yeah," Louisa nodded, a flush creeping up her cheeks. "I think I can. But the lights are going off again."

"Fine with me," Robbie replied, relaxing back into his previous position again. At least until he felt himself come. And this time, Louisa wasn't fazed by it at all.


	33. The Slippery Slope

"I know it's a bit early to talk about this," Louisa said to Robbie as they walked through the park. "But…what are you gonna do with yourself after this deal of ours is done? Have I inspired you to, maybe, think about settling down with someone special instead of just having a different girl every night? Have a couple of kids, maybe?"

Robbie chuckled nervously. "Well, it's a bit soon to think about that, as you mentioned," he said. "And with my grandmother and my mother, I don't know how many nutty personality traits I'd be passing on, but if I found the right person, I suppose I could get married someday. Have a lot of kids, six or seven perhaps. You think you could do it again?"

"I don't know," Louisa shrugged. "Maybe not for a while. I'll be much more careful the next time around." She then looked at him with a smile. "_Seven_ kids? Seriously? Don't you think that's a bit much?"

"How about two?" Robbie countered. "Is two a good amount?"

"What are you asking me for?" Louisa wanted to know. "_I'm _not gonna be the mother of your children."

"I know," Robbie nodded. "But I just…I thought that if I were going to practice the discussion, you'd be the person I'd practice it with since you and I are so comfortable with each other."

"Oh," Louisa nodded. "Okay then."

They kept walking and when they passed the fountain in the middle of the park, Robbie stopped.

"What?" Louisa asked.

"Would you go pose by the fountain?" Robbie asked. "You know, just sit on the edge? I've been wanting to sketch this fountain for ages, but I never had the right inspiration."

"Okay," Louisa nodded. "Sure." She walked over to the fountain and Robbie told her how to pose, in a way that was somewhat precarious. She struggled to keep her balance, and then after a little while, she asked Robbie how long the sketch would take.

"Not long," Robbie replied without looking up. "Just hold that pose for a few more seconds." But not long after he said that, he heard a splash. He looked up and saw a soaking wet Louisa emerging from the depths of the waist-high water.

"Oh, shit!" He cried, running over to her. "Louisa, are you okay?"

"Yeah," Louisa assured him. "I'm fine. Come a little closer. It'll be easier for you to help me out that way."

"Sure," Robbie nodded. "Whatever you need. He even climbed onto the edge of the fountain to get a better angle to pull Louisa out, but when she had a good grip on his hand, she just pulled him in with her.

"And what was _that_ for?" He asked her, sputtering.

"Well, if I'm gonna go down," Louisa smiled, "I'm bringing you down with me."

He looked into her eyes and then over her soaking wet body in its clinging clothes and then pulled her to him. They kissed in the fountain until the sound of a clearing throat caused them to separate as they saw a police officer staring at them.

"Sorry," Louisa apologized. "We accidentally fell in."

"You're not the first kids looking for a good time in that fountain," the officer replied. "But might I suggest that it would be better to do things like that in the privacy of your own home?"

"Yes, sir," Louisa nodded and gave him her hand so he could help her out. Robbie followed, shooting the police officer a dirty look for ruining his and Louisa's good time, but said nothing and let Louisa lead him back to her car.

"We're gonna have to go home and change," Louisa said as Robbie zapped up a towel for her to sit on. "I'm not gonna spend the rest of the day in soaking wet clothes."

"I agree," Robbie said and started driving. "Maybe we should do what that nice police officer suggested and have a good time in our own home."

"You don't think he's a nice police officer," Louisa remarked as she sat and looked out the window. "You were gonna do something bad to him, weren't you?"

"Well, why can't he just leave good people alone?" Robbie huffed. "With the divorce rate as high as it is, you think people would be reveling in seeing real love when it happens instead of squashing it!"

"That's an interesting perspective," Louisa said thoughtfully.

"Damn right it is!" Robbie replied.

* * *

When they got home, Louisa and Robbie hopped in the shower together and changed clothes before Louisa gave Robbie a kiss and told him that she had to stop by the community college to sign up for some business classes.

"I didn't have to work when Eli and I were married, but I have no doubt we'll be divorced soon, so I'll have to find some way to support myself, and I think taking classes is a good way to start."

"Well, I'm proud of you," Robbie replied. "And you know that if you ever wanna live somewhere else, my door is always open for you."

"Thanks," Louisa replied and squeezed his hand. "I'll definitely think about that."

* * *

"Mommy?" Amanda asked as she strode into the library with Viktor on one side of her and Elijah on the other. "Mommy, can I do a etiquette class?"

Selina sat up from the sofa and said, "No, sweetie. I don't think you'd like etiquette class. It's not as fun as your daddy and Viktor are making it seem. They make you follow all sorts of rules and it's _incredibly_ boring."

"Oh, it's really not that bad," Viktor tried to reassure her. "Elijah and I will be teaching it. It won't be taught by some stuffy old schoolmarm. And I really think it would help her when she gets to school and starts dealing with other children."

Selina looked back and forth between the two big men on either side of her tiny daughter and then asked Amanda, "Do you really wanna do this, sweetie? Cause you don't have to do anything you don't wanna do."

"No, I want to!" Amanda insisted. "Can I do it? Please?"

"All right," Selina replied with a shrug. "If you want to, and you think it's something you'll enjoy, I won't stop you."

"Great!" Amanda smiled, and then looked up at her escorts. "All right, boys," she said. "Left me up!"

Both Viktor and Elijah gave her an indulgent look and took her from either side before carrying her out of the room, leaving Selina to read her book in peace.

* * *

But even though Selina's response about etiquette class had been civil, Elijah was still concerned. "Should we talk about Amanda?" He asked her that night. "Are you _truly_ all right with her taking my and Viktor's class or were you just humoring her? Come on, you can be honest with me."

"Oh, of course I'm all right with it," Selina sighed. "It's not like it's a class about how to make explosives or murder people. I just…I have bad memories about the etiquette classes Mama forced me to take when I was about her age, but who am I to deny Amanda something she wants to do just because I don't like it? It would make me just as bad as Mama, but the opposite way. And I don't want to do that. She shouldn't have to forgo what she wants because of me."

"Well, that's very mature," Elijah replied. "And I promise that this etiquette class is not the start of me trying to turn Amanda into a perfect little lady. I made that mistake with Annaliese and it cost both of us. I just want Amanda to be a little more polished is all."

Selina nodded. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you." Then she giggled.

"What's so funny?" Elijah wanted to know.

"I'm just trying to picture you and Viktor trying to rein in a bunch of little girls all by yourselves," Selina replied. "I might just have to come watch this class."

"We're hoping to get some little boys in the class as well," Elijah replied. "And if you want to come watch, you may. Just promise not to laugh too much."

"Oh, don't worry," Selina smiled. "I won't."

* * *

"It's all right, don't mind us," Eli said as he and Rebecca came into his house one day and found Robbie and Louisa curled up together in front of the television. "We just need to grab something. Pretend we're not here."

"Okay," Robbie replied as Louisa gave him a disapproving look. "I spend a lot of my time pretending you don't exist and thinking of ways to make that a reality."

"Now there's no need to be rude, Robbie," Rebecca chided.

"Oh, you think I'm being rude?" Robbie asked and then gestured at Louisa. "You're fucking this woman's husband! I am _not_ the rude one!"

"Enough," Louisa told him quietly but forcefully. "Just sit down."

"Fine," Robbie huffed as Eli and Rebecca went to change keys and then left the house as quickly as possible, Eli flushing and Rebecca looking like she wanted to murder her son. When they were on their way, Rebecca looked at Eli apologetically. "Sorry," she said. "I don't know what's wrong with Robbie."

"Don't you think he has a bit of a point though?" Eli wanted to know. "We're not exactly paragons of virtue here. Or is that not something you think about?"

"Not really," Rebecca admitted. "I mean, you _did _like me first, and the only reason you got with Louisa in the first place was because I left."

"True, but that doesn't make what we're doing any less wrong," Eli countered.

"So, do you wanna stop?" Rebecca asked. "You wanna hold off until you and Louisa are divorced so you can stay safely on the moral high ground?"

"Well, no," Eli shook his head. "I think the morality train left the station a long time ago with us. I just…I think we should keep the consequences of what we're doing in mind. That's all."

"Consequences, consequences," Rebecca sighed. "It's all about fricking consequences with you, isn't it?"

"I'm sorry!" Eli replied. "But you knew that's what I'm like when we started down this slippery slope."

"If I told you I got new underwear, would you shut up about morality and focus on the fun stuff?" Rebecca asked impatiently.

"Fine," Eli replied. "Why not?" But things didn't go as well as either he or Rebecca hoped cause he was too distracted. He was incredibly relieved when a phone call made him have to pull away, and even _more_ relieved to find out that it was his grandfather.

"I'm a bit worried about you," Elijah admitted. "This situation with you and Rebecca has me concerned, and I think it would be healthy for all of you to sit down and talk about it. Would you all be available for dinner on Saturday?"

"All right," Eli nodded, though he was not especially happy to have dinner with Robbie. "Rebecca and I are free. I promise I'll let you know about everyone else."

"Good," Elijah replied. "I hope to see you all then."


	34. The Cold and Hard Truth

"Now, tell me again why you want to have this dinner?" Selina asked Elijah as she made up the grocery list. "And who's coming, so I know how much food to buy?"

Elijah sighed. "Okay, I'll tell you again: "You, me, Eli, Rebecca, Luke (cause Rebecca won't be able to leave him alone), Robbie, Louisa, and of course, my father and Gwen," Elijah finished.

"Sounds like quite the party," Selina replied. "Lots of stimulating conversation, or yelling, to be more exact. Do you really think poor little Luke will be able to handle it?"

"Oh, I'm sure he can," Elijah nodded. "He's one of us. It's good for him to be used to that idea early on."

"True," Selina replied. "Cause we're all sorts of crazy."

"What are you thinking of serving?" Elijah wanted to know.

"Well…it's a dinner for nine people," Selina said. "I might just get a giant bird or something. Do you think that if I told your father I killed it and prepared it myself, he'd be nice to me?"

"Would you really shoot a bird?" Elijah asked. "I mean, you could. Don't think I don't know about that gun you have hidden somewhere around the house."

"No," Selina shook her head. "It would be an amazingly useful thing called a fib. And don't worry about the gun. I know how to use it. Damon taught me how to shoot when I was fourteen. And besides, I only use it for target practice. It's not like I'm ever gonna _kill _anyone with it!"

"Just make sure you don't," Elijah told her firmly.

"I _won't!"_ Selina repeated forcefully. Then, she grabbed her purse and went to ask Amanda if she wanted to come to the grocery store with her.

"Can I push the cart?" Amanda wanted to know.

"Of course!" Selina replied. "I'll get the food, you push the cart. Perfect plan."

"Goody!" Amanda replied, then put her toys down and walked with her mother to the car, telling Elijah on the way, "Mommy and I are going to the grocery store. Don't miss me too much!"

"Okay," Elijah promised. "I swear I'll only miss you a little."

"Good," Amanda nodded and gave him a hug.

They left and Elijah went back to his office to listen for the phones, all the while wondering whether a trip to the grocery store with Amanda would drive Selina out of her mind, or whether some good would come of it.

* * *

When he heard a knock on the door an hour or so later, he opened it to come face to face with a large frozen bird, which completely obscured his daughter's face. "Daddy, take it, please!" Amanda cried, her voice strained. "It's very heavy!"

"Okay, darling," he said, taking it and relieving Amanda of her burden. "How come your mother made you carry such a big bird?"

"I wanted to," Amanda explained. "Mommy said it would be too heavy, but I didn't believe her."

"Or you just wanted to prove you could do it, right?" Elijah surmised.

"Yes, I did," Amanda nodded, still breathing panting breaths before flopping dramatically on the floor and not getting up.

"I really _did_ try to get her to carry something other than the bird," Selina insisted, stepping over her daugher's prone body. "But she wouldn't hear of it, especially when I tried to help her put it at a better angle than the one she had."

"Oh, I believe you," Elijah assured her. "It _is_ Amanda we're talking about, after all."

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "I know."

"And I just want to say that even though I know I'm not much good in the kitchen, if there's anything I can do to help you, just let me know," Elijah told her and took her in his arms.

"Thank you," Selina replied. "Wanna help me put things away?"

"Of course," Elijah replied. He checked to make sure Amanda was okay (cause she still hadn't gotten up yet) and then, when he was sure she was, he and Selina put the groceries away, and afterward, she made up the actual menu, which she was sure would please even her exacting father in law.

* * *

"I don't know if we should go to this dinner at your grandfather's," Rebecca said an hour or so before the party (which was in the early evening.) "For all we know, it could be some sort of trick. He's as moral as you are, so it's probably his way of passing judgment."

"Oh, don't be so negative," Eli replied as he tried on different ties to see which one would work best with his gray suit. He finally came down to a red one or a blue one, and then turned around to ask Rebecca what she thought.

"I like the blue one," Rebecca sighed. "But do whichever you want. And what am I supposed to do with Luke? Two year olds don't do well at dinner parties, and I heard from my mom that she and Mikael were invited, so I don't have a babysitter!"

"Oh, Grandpa said he was invited," Eli assured her. "Did I not tell you that?"

"No," Rebecca shook her head. "But who'll watch him while we're eating?"

"Grandma will find some way to make it work," Eli assured her with a quick kiss. "I promise. And it's good for him to spend time with his relatives. Don't you think?"

"I guess," Rebecca sighed. "But I'm still nervous."

"It will be _fine_," Eli repeated. "Just trust me, please."

"All right, I will," Rebecca replied, and then went to find a blue dress in her closet and prepare herself for an evening that would undoubtedly be less smooth than Eli was making it out to be.

* * *

"Well this bites!" Robbie cried out as he got into the door of Elijah and Selina's house just after Eli. He hadn't really wanted to come, but when Louisa received the invitation and found that they were both invited, she insisted, saying that it might be good for them. She looked like she was really regretting that decision now.

"_What_ bites?" Asked Amanda, who was assigned to watch the door and yell for Elijah as people arrived.

"Nothing, little girl," Robbie said and patted her head. "Pretend you didn't hear that." He then swore as Amanda bit him, seriously reconsidering his desire to have a daughter some day. "Don't pat my head!" She ordered. Then she turned. "Daddy! More people are here!"

"All right, Amanda," Elijah said. "Thank you for letting me know!" She then sauntered off to the kitchen while Robbie stared daggers at Eli. "What do_ you_ want?"He asked.

"I just wondered how you forced your way into my grandfather's house," Eli replied. "Clearly you don't pass muster for Grandpa's guard daughter."

"Actually, we were invited, just like you were," Louisa said quietly.

"Yeah, we were!" Robbie smirked. "Anything else you wanna say?"

"Oh, I don't need to _say_ anything," Eli replied, removing his coat and narrowing his eyes. "After all, actions speak louder than words, don't they?" He then gave Robbie a push, meaning for him to go flying into the wall, but it didn't go as well as he'd hoped, and Robbie did the same action against him more successfully. (Since he was closer to his Original relative than Eli was, the son of an Original, as opposed to the grandson of one, he had the advantage, which was something Eli didn't know about before he started the fight.)

The crash of Eli's body against the wall, followed by Eli's cries as Robbie hit him with a brain pain spell brought Elijah running. "All right, all right," he said, grabbing hold of his grandson before Eli could retaliate. "Enough! I know you two have your problems, but you're going to solve them like gentlemen, not hooligans!" He then frowned at Eli, and gestured at Luke, who was being held back by Rebecca and looked frightened. "If you're not going to end this ridiculous feud for yourselves, at least do it so you can be a good example for your son!"

Eli then looked away, a flush coloring his cheeks.

"I _knew_ that was gonna happen!" Selina said. "Is there a hole in the wall?"

"No, there's not," Elijah called back. "The wall is fine." He then frowned at both boys. "Take your seats and don't cause any more trouble," he said firmly.

"Can I ask what the point was of putting us both in the same room?" Eli wanted to know. "What were you hoping to accomplish?"

"I wanted to give you a place where you could end this ridiculous affair of yours and reconcile with your wife," Elijah replied. "I think that's best, don't you?"

"Oh, no it is _not_!" Robbie shot back before Louisa had a chance to give her own opinion about this proclamation. "There's not a chance in _hell_ that I'm letting him anywhere _near_ Louisa. He's just gonna mistreat her again."

"It's okay," Louisa told Robbie quickly, trying to calm him. "You don't have to worry about me. I can take care of myself."

"How could you do it?" Robbie asked, his voice deadly quiet as he ignored what Louisa said. "Tell me, Eli. You did all that business with my mother…and Louisa had no idea. I-I just don't understand what's going on in your head at all!"

"Selina, are the appetizers ready?" Elijah called. "Please tell me you have _something_ that people can shove into their mouths to stop them from talking!"

"Okay, I'm coming," Selina cried and brought out appetizers, which Eli and Robbie reluctantly partook in, meaning there was blessed silence until they all sat down to dinner. Mikael and Gwen had arrived by then, and Mikael, well aware of the troubles between the two young couples, said to Louisa, "So, how are things with you and your husband?"

"They're not the best, but we're trying to fix that," Louisa replied truthfully. Gwen put a spell on her husband then which deprived him of his ability to speak, but he still watched the ensuing fight with glee.

"Why would you want to try and fix things with him?" Robbie asked Louisa. "You told me that you were thinking of divorcing him!"

"Well, if it's what we both want, then that's what will happen," Louisa replied. "But if Eli is willing to fight to keep our marriage alive despite this misstep, I am too."

Robbie heard this and scoffed while looking at Eli. "And just what lies did you tell her to make her think you're willing to fight for your marriage?" He asked. "Cause clearly that's bullshit. We both know that."

"Oh, you don't," Eli replied in the same tone of deadly calm. "You just _think_ you do, and you tell yourself what you want to believe because you want Louisa for yourself. You're just as bad as I am, so don't play innocent. And whatever happens between Louisa and me regarding our marriage is our own business, not yours. You have no part of it. You're not her husband. I am."

Robbie scoffed and denied this accusation as Louisa, clearly uncomfortable, sank lower and lower into her chair while Rebecca watched the fight in silence and helped Luke eat his dinner.

"I may not be her husband legally," Robbie said at last, his voice deadly quiet. "But at least I'm fucking her like I am, which is not something _you_ can say. You might have done it with her, but you didn't do it _well_!

"Oh, my god!" Louisa cried at last, slamming her palms down on the table and standing up. "Will you two fucking _stop it_? We're trying to have a nice dinner here and you two fighting over me like you are makes you look like real morons, aside from the fact that it's ruining everything! Now all night, I have watched the two of you say the crappiest things and believe that you have the right to say what_ I_ need to do in this situation. But you don't! I do! Like I said, I _want_ to try and fix my marriage, but I would be an idiot if I believed it could be completely salvaged at this point." She looked at Eli. "I'm right, aren't I?" She asked quietly as Mikael continued to look back and forth between them like he was watching a tennis match. "You can tell the truth. It won't hurt my feelings."

Eli was silent, and looked at Elijah, who gave him an encouraging look. "Go ahead, Eli," he said. "Tell Louisa what you think. And be honest. Don't you think this affair has gone on long enough?"

"Yeah," Eli got out at last. "I think it has. I mean, I suppose we could really try to stick it out for another month or so…but what's the point?"

"All right," Louisa nodded. "That's what I thought you'd say. Thank you for being honest. Now we can move on and work on getting this whole mess over with."

"Yeah," Eli nodded as Robbie looked on in smug satisfaction. "I think that would be best."


	35. Time To Start Over

"I would be a big liar if I said I wasn't happy you and Eli were finally getting a divorce," Robbie told Louisa. "Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah," Louisa nodded. "It's not gonna be too complicated to figure out. I came into the marriage with nothing compared to what he had, so he gets to keep it all and I'll go on with my life."

"And are you okay with that?" Robbie asked. "Don't you think you deserve a little something for his cheating?"

"Oh, I got something," Louisa smiled. "An incredibly sweet artist who's a really good shopper and excellent in bed."

Robbie flushed a little when he heard this. "You really know how to make a guy blush," he said. "You know, I've never done that before."

Louisa then pulled him to her and kissed him, then looked at her phone. "I have to run to the lawyer's office real quick," she told him. "But I should be back soon, and hopefully, divorced, or annulled or whatever!"

"No rush!" Robbie called. "I'll keep the champagne cold. I promise! Oh, and call me when you're coming back home. I have a surprise planned for you."

"Good," Louisa called back. "I can't wait!"

She then went to her car and drove to the courthouse, where Eli and a lawyer were waiting with the papers.

When she'd shut the door behind her, the lawyer looked at them both and said, "Are we all here now?"

"Yes," Eli nodded as Louisa came to stand next to him. "We are."

"Now, you didn't tell me what you wanted, so I brought both annulment papers and divorce papers with me," the lawyer said and took two piles of papers out. "Which will it be?"

"We just want to get this over with," Eli replied. "We both have other relationships that are being held up because of it, and whatever will get done the fastest is what we want."

The lawyer looked at Louisa. "Do you agree with him?"

"Yep!" Louisa smiled. "My boyfriend is at home, waiting with champagne."

"Oh, he's your _boyfriend_ now?" Eli asked. "When did you start using that word?"

"What does it matter to you?" Louisa shot back. "We're almost not married anymore!"

"What are the grounds for the annulment?" The lawyer asked. "I have to know."

"He was in love with another woman during our whole relationship and just married me cause she wasn't around!" Louisa replied. "Is there something about annulling because of marriage under false pretenses?"

"Yes," the lawyer nodded and made a note on the papers. He then pushed them forward and told Louisa and Eli where to sign. After they were done, he put them in his briefcase.

"So…is it done?" Eli asked.

The lawyer nodded. "For all intents and purposes, you're annulled now. It's as if your marriage never happened."

"Good!" Louisa cried with a wide smile and more enthusiasm than Eli thought was necessary. "Excuse me. I have a hot man to get home to!"

"I have errands to run too!" He called after her retreating back as she called Robbie. "I'm getting Rebecca an engagement ring, so there!"

* * *

When Louisa arrived home, she looked around and saw no one, which was weird, since she'd expected Robbie to be waiting for her by the door and maybe scoop her in his arms and spin her around or something.

"Robbie?" She called. "It's all over! Eli and I are no longer married. Where in the world are you?!" She then looked down and noticed a trail of pink rose petals. She followed them until they ended at the closed bathroom door in Robbie's bedroom. She knocked a couple of times and yelled, "Robbie, are you in there? I thought you were gonna wait for me!"

"Open the door!" Robbie called.

Louisa did so and gasped. He was undressed and sitting in a bubble bath with two glasses of champagne nearby. When he saw her, he zapped his bubble-covered and naked self out of the tub and handed her a glass of champagne.

"You know, I would have been really disappointed if you weren't naked when I opened the door," she confessed as she took the glass from him and sipped, her eyes on his body. She then undressed at a leisurely pace and when he re-entered the tub, she followed him, putting her arms around him and giving him a good long smooch.

"So…now that you're a free woman," Robbie said as he held her to himself in a tub that was more than big enough for the two of them, "what are you gonna do now?"

Louisa shrugged. "I guess I'll have to get a house and a job, won't I?" She asked. "I'm technically broke now."

"All right," Robbie nodded. "That'll be next on our list. You said something about wanting to take classes?"

"Yeah," Louisa nodded. "I've actually gotten signed up. I start class in a month or so."

Robbie began scrubbing her with a loofah as she asked, "I hope it's not too presumptuous of me, but…can I stay with you until I have a job and enough money for a place of my own?"

"Well, I think that would be the best solution, wouldn't it?" Robbie replied. "I was going to suggest that myself, but I thought it would be better if you did." Then he said, "If it were up to me, you wouldn't have to work at all."

"I know," Louisa nodded. "But I like feeling as if I'm doing my share, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," Robbie replied. "Good for you." They finished their champagne and lingered a little while longer in the bath before getting out. Once they were dry, Robbie took her in his arms and began kissing every place on her he could get his lips on.

"Wow," Louisa giggled. "You must be really happy I'm not married now!"

"Damn right," Robbie replied, setting her down on the bed and then crawling in after her to kiss her again. He started out at her collar bone and made a trail of kisses downward, pausing to swirl his tongue around her belly button before she eagerly spread her legs and he kissed up her inner thighs before slipping his tongue inside her and swirling it around again, only stopping when he heard her cry, "Oh, my god! I can't take it anymore!"

He pulled out of her, took her in his arms, kissed her again, and then she said breathlessly, "I don't know if I can handle such intense feelings all the time!"

"Well, you better get used to it," he told her. "You're mine now."

"Am I?" Louisa asked. "It's just so great to think that I can finally be with the guy I…I love."

"Yeah," Robbie nodded as nuzzled her neck. "It is." It took some time for what she said to fully register, but when he realized it, he looked at her, wide-eyed.

"Did you just say you love me?" He asked.

"Yeah," Louisa nodded. "I'm sorry. It's too soon, isn't it?"

"No, it's not!" Robbie shook his head earnestly. "I love you too. In the most not-subtle way possible."

"No kidding!" Louisa then smiled and kissed him again.

* * *

"So…did it happen?" Rebecca asked cautiously as Eli closed the door after getting back from a bunch of errands. "Are you a free man? Where have you been? I was beginning to worry! I thought you'd decided to stay married after all."

Eli nodded. "I am a free man, don't worry. I've even got something for you to prove it." He smiled and took both her and Luke in his arms. "So, when do you two want to move into the house? It can be any time. Louisa cleared out really quick and I have no doubt she's cuddling with Robbie at this very moment."

"Oh, as soon as possible!" Rebecca replied. "And we have to delay telling my mother as much as we can, cause she'll want us to have a big wedding and I just can't deal with that right now."

"Oh, I understand," Eli nodded and pulled a ring box out of his pocket. "I know it's probably tacky to propose to someone else on the day you end your marriage, but…" he popped the box open. "Rebecca, will you marry me some time in the far off future?"

"Yes!" Rebecca replied and jumped up and down as Eli slipped the ring on her finger. It was a huge diamond and she couldn't stop looking at it. "I'm so happy!" She gushed. "I gotta go tell Elizabeth and Katherine. They'll be so happy for me!"

"Will they tell your mom?" Eli yelled.

"No, they won't," Rebecca shook her head. "That's why they get to hear the news first."

When she was gone, he smiled at Luke, who asked, dark eyes locked on his father, "Where's _my _present?"

"I don't have one for you right now, cause I didn't want to get you something you'd hate," Eli improvised quickly. "Why don't you and I go to the toy store and get you something when your mother gets off the phone?"

"Okay!" Luke nodded, his face brightening. Once his mother got off the phone and came back into the living room (nearly bumping into things cause her eyes were locked on her wedding ring), Luke grabbed Eli's hand. "Toy store!" He cried. "Toy store!"

"What _about_ the toy store?" Rebecca asked.

"I promised I'd get him a toy because you got a ring and he was feeling left out," Eli explained.

"Oh," Rebecca nodded. "Okay. But just _one_ toy. Don't let him convince you to buy out the whole toy store."

"Don't worry," Eli promised her. "I won't." They left and then returned an hour or so later with a box that contained what would eventually become a multi-colored vehicle that small children could sit in and move with their feet. Eli dumped the box out and gasped at all the pieces. "This is gonna take a million years," he said. Looking at the instructions just made him more confused.

"Oh, give me that!" Rebecca said in exasperation as she snatched the directions away. And with one quick look at the picture on the box and the instructions, zapped the pile of pieces into a fully functioning toy. "See?" She blew on her finger like it was a gun. "No problem."

Luke smiled as he got on it and began scooting around.

"Well, I made_ him_ happy, I made you happy, I feel like a good person." Eli smiled and took Rebecca into his arms. "Wanna join a man who's no longer married in the bedroom?" He asked.

"Why yes!" Rebecca smiled and gave him a kiss. "I think I do!" Their kiss was interrupted by Luke bumping into Rebecca's legs with his scooter not one, but two times, and then just laughing when she turned to frown at him.

"Something tells me I'm gonna regret buying him that," Eli told her.

"Oh, well," Rebecca sighed. "If you hadn't bought it for him, Mother would have, I bet."

A short time later, Rebecca took Luke, who was protesting with all his might, to his room for a nap before going to join Eli in bed.

"I know it's gonna feel weird to have me admit this," Rebecca told him as she kissed down his chest. "But I feel much better about us now."

"You do?" Eli asked. "Good. Me too." Then he lay back and shut his eyes, trying not to yell too loud as she slipped her skilled fingers into his boxers and gave him the best thank you for the engagement ring that she could have given him.

* * *

Louisa, Robbie, Eli, and Rebecca were all so relieved about the divorce and intent on celebrating their new life paths that they booked Roxie's for a celebration party, with all their family and friends crowding in together. (Louisa's parents were very out of place, but made the best out of the situation.) And the celebration was scheduled on what happened to be karaoke night.

"So…anyone gonna be doing any singing?" Roxie asked her half-brother as Robbie strode up to the bar for a drink. Although it was hard for her to remember sometimes cause he looked more like his mother, Robbie was her half-brother, the result of a one night fling between her father and his mother Rebecca that had occurred during the darker days of her parents' relationship (around the time her younger sister Lucy was conceived, along with a twin brother who was fathered by her mother's former husband Damon Salvatore.) But Roxie loved Robbie anyway. Her bar was one of the places he felt was home, and she found it interesting that despite his not being raised by her father, he was more like him than her older brother Adrian had ever been.

"I think so," Robbie smiled. "We have to get Louisa's parents to sing a number or two." He looked at the clearly uncomfortable pair who were sitting away from everyone else. "Don't you think?"

"Yes!" Roxie nodded. "Maybe get 'em drunk first. They look like they need a little loosening up."

"Can you make it happen?" Robbie asked. "I'll help."

"What are we talking about?" Louisa wanted to know as she strode up and put an arm through Robbie's.

"We were just trying to think of ways to help your parents enjoy themselves," Robbie replied. "I don't think they're having any fun at all."

"Well, partying in a bar isn't really something they usually do," Louisa pointed out. "But I'll try and talk to them. Maybe I can get them to sing a song for karaoke!"

"Yeah, good luck with that," Robbie scoffed.

"If they sing a song, it should definitely be 'Hip to be Square' by Huey Lewis," Roxie said, which caused Robbie to chuckle.

"Yeah," he nodded. "No doubt."

After everyone had a few drinks in them, Roxie took to the stage to announce the beginning of karaoke night. She put the song book on the stage and invited everyone to make selections, and after a mad dash to the stage, songs were chosen and Roxie looked over the list.

"Well," she said, "I think we should have a guest of honor sing the first song. Don't you?" The crowd roared their approval.

"All right," Roxie said. "Rebecca, come up here, and sing your song."

Everyone clapped again as Rebecca took her place at the microphone and locked eyes with Robbie as she sang a heartfelt version of LeAnn Rimes' 'How Do I Live?', keeping eye contact with Eli the whole time and even having to wipe tears from her eyes as she finished the song before running down from the stage and into his arms as the audience applauded, with Katherine and Elizabeth cheering the loudest.

After Rebecca finished her song, Roxie asked her to pick the next person to sing, and of course she picked her mother, who refused to go up and sing alone.

"I don't know about this, Gwendolyn," Mikael whispered as she pulled him to the stage. "Didn't the night of King's conception start out like this?"

"Oh, you're not _that_ drunk, are you?" Gwen asked. They got up to the stage and Gwen handed him a microphone.

"Just what song did you pick?" Mikael asked. "Why wasn't I involved in the decision if I'm being forced to sing as well?"

"It wouldn't be as much fun if you helped pick it," Gwen pointed out. "You have no sense of humor." Then the music started up, and Mikael realized to his horror that Gwen had picked "I Am Woman" by Helen Reddy, and the discomfort on his face made Selina, who had a front row seat, laugh so hard that her drink came out of her nose and she had to run to the bathroom until the song was over, and Mikael had pulled Gwen out of the bar. When she went to get a new drink, she asked Roxie, "Was the song Gwen's idea?"

"We actually went through the songbook together and chose it," Roxie winked. "I thought it would make you laugh."

"You are a very good daughter," Selina told her before heading back to her seat. "You just gave me the best memory of my whole life."

"And the fun's not even over yet!" Roxie called.

Eventually, after Louisa and Robbie did a duet "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," she begged her parents to sing a song and eventually they capitulated after a few more drinks, and sang, just as Robbie and Roxie had plotted, "Hip to be Square," by Huey Lewis and the News. But they clearly weren't familiar with the song and instead of it being funny, it was just painful to watch.

Eventually, Roxie said "Last call," and after everyone had their final drinks, they all piled in their cars, with Robbie and Louisa and Eli and Rebecca happier than anyone else to be able to call a place they lived in together 'home'.


	36. Ladies And Gentlemen

"Running into Klaus and Amy at the art museum was a good start," Louisa told Robbie. "I mean, he was still a bit…territorial of her when you said 'Hello'. Why would he be that way?"

"Well," Robbie bit his lip. "He's kind of a nut. I told you that. He just is possessive of everyone. See, this is exactly why I'm skeptical about us having an actual relationship."

"Is that so?" Louisa asked. "I feel like you're holding back. No matter how crazy the cause of Klaus' jealousy might be, you can tell me. After all I've experienced with your family, I won't be shocked."

"It's really nothing you need to worry about," Robbie said quickly. "Please don't make me tell you. It'll make trouble for no reason and we just got to a really good place!"

"Part of being in a relationship is being honest with each other," Louisa said firmly. "Tell me why you make Klaus jealous."

"Well," Robbie was silent a long time before he finally said, "It's because I slept with Amy, okay? It was like, right after I found out Klaus was my dad, and I was pissed off about it. Amy and Klaus were going through a bad time cause she found out about Klaus' time with my mother and it freaked her out, so when she came to me for comfort…I didn't exactly say 'no'." He then looked at Louisa with pleading in his eyes. "Please don't be mad," he begged. "Please."

"I'm not mad," Louisa said and he let out a relieved breath. But then she continued talking and he got tense again. "I just…I have to wonder if I'm gonna be good enough for you," she said. "I mean, Amy's _much_ prettier than I am."

"That's not true," Robbie shook his head. "She's pretty in a different way than you, but she's _not _prettier. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I do," Louisa nodded. "I just…I don't want to feel like I'm too boring for you. Cause when you compare me to all the other women you've been with, I am."

"Please stop comparing yourself to other women I've been with," Robbie commanded. "They don't matter. I don't give a shit about them. All I care about is that I'm here with you, and I don't _want_ anyone else."

"Are you _positive_?" Louisa asked.

"Yes," Robbie nodded. "I am. I promise."

"Okay," Louisa bit her lip. "I'll remember that."

Robbie then took her in his arms. "I hope you do," he said. "You make me very happy. I don't think you realize how much yet."

Louisa hugged him back, trying to keep her resolve firm, but later that day, when Robbie was out, a woman called, looking for him and Louisa was the one to answer the phone.

"It's nice to know that Robbie has a secretary now," the woman replied to Louisa's greeting. "I'm an old friend of his, and I'm coming into town in a few days. Could you ask him to make time for me? Maybe schedule a dinner for us or something?"

"Sure," Louisa replied, her voice flat. "I'll let him know you called."

"Thanks," the girl chirped. "My name is Leslie White. Goodbye."

Louisa made the note and some dinner reservations, and when Robbie got home, she thrust the message in his face. "Leslie White called. You'll be going out to dinner with her. If you want her to have my bed, just let me know. And don't worry. I'll find a way to get out of the house so you can have some privacy!" She then stomped off and locked herself in her and Robbie's bedroom while he tried to think of some way to calm her down.

* * *

"I am _never _gonna forget the sight of your dad and Gwen singing Helen Reddy as long as I live!" Selina said, still laughing at the memory, even after a few days.

"Yes," Elijah nodded, letting himself smile. "It _was_ amusing. I'm so glad that Father finally found the right woman."

"Yeah, me too," Selina nodded. They then paused as they heard Amanda swear.

"What's the matter?" Selina called. "Are you okay?"

"The book keeps falling down!" Amanda yelled. She came in holding one of her picture books, put it on her head, walked a couple of steps, and then it fell onto the floor, causing her to growl in frustration. "See, Daddy?" She complained to Elijah. "I can't get it! Viktor is gonna be _so_ mad at me!"

"No, he won't," Elijah assured her. "You're just learning. Doing things like that takes time."

"Yes," Selina sighed. "Long, boring, mind-numbing time."

"We're being encouraging," Elijah told her with a frown. "Remember?"

"How was I not being encouraging?" Selina asked. "I was just saying that learning that stuff takes a long time, and that it's not necessarily an interesting process."

"Did you have Viktor as a teacher when you did it?" Amanda asked.

"Well, of course I didn't," Selina shook her head. "Just some of the most dull women in the world."

"So you can balance with a book?" Amanda wanted to know. "Can you show me?"

"Oh, all right," Selina nodded and picked up the book from the floor. "But it's been awhile, so I'm a little rusty. I might drop the book as much as you do."

She put the book on her head, and then her posture improved dramatically from her usual rebellious slouch as she made her way across the kitchen and didn't drop the book once.

"Wow!" Amanda said when her mother returned to the table. "That was _amazing!_"

"Well, thank you," Selina told her. "How very nice of you to say."

"I'm impressed as well," Elijah added. "I thought you were a perpetual sloucher and you always would be."

"No," Selina shook her head. "Not permanently. I'm just unwilling to sit in what my teachers would have called 'the right way'."

"Could you help me?" Amanda asked. "Please?"

"All right," Selina nodded. "Stand up."

Amanda got up off the chair where she'd been sitting and Selina put the book on her head and asked her to take a few steps. The book fell quickly like before.

"See?" Amanda cried in irritation. "I suck!"

"You don't suck," Selina reassured her. "I think it has something to do with your posture. You're probably not standing up straight enough."

"But I thought the book was supposed to make me stand straight!" Amanda cried.

"No, it's just the thing that determines whether you are or not," Selina explained. "If you are, the book should stay right where it is."

They tried a few more walks across the kitchen until Amanda finally made it across without the book falling.

"I did it!" She cried, putting the book down on the table and jumping up and down as she grinned at her father. "Daddy, didn't you _see_?"

"I did!" Elijah smiled and gave her a hug. "Good for you. When we practice posture, you can help Viktor and I teach."

"I can?" Amanda asked. "Will you tell Viktor that?"

Just then, the doorbell rang and they heard Viktor call out. "Elijah!" He yelled. "Are you home? I have more ideas for our class!"

"See, there he is!" Elijah told Amanda as the two of them headed to the door, with Amanda throwing herself into Viktor's arms when Elijah opened it. "You can tell him yourself."

"Tell me what?" Viktor asked. "Amanda, what have you done?"

"She's got good posture now," Elijah replied.

"Yeah, I can walk across the kitchen with a book on my head and it won't fall down," Amanda nodded. "Mommy helped."

"Did you?" Viktor asked Selina in surprise. "I had no idea you knew how to do stuff like that!"

"I'm an antebellum/Civil War-era rich girl from the south," Selina replied dryly. "_Of course_ I know how to do stuff like that. According to my mother, I wouldn't marry well if I didn't."

"Well I'll be damned," Viktor smiled. "I always assumed that you were turned in the twenties, and that all the crazy stuff you did that Alistair and Klaus told me about was because you were having trouble adjusting to being a vampire."

"It's reasonable for you to think that," Selina conceded. "In the twenties, I think what was going on with me was that I was finally experiencing what true freedom was like, and it made me behave a little recklessly."

"_That's_ an understatement," Elijah said.

Viktor then looked at Amanda. "You think you could show me what your mother taught you?" He asked.

"Okay," Amanda nodded. "I'll try." She crossed the kitchen again, nearly losing control of the book, but saving herself just in time, and letting herself fall into Viktor's lap when she reached him.

"I was thinking of having her help us teach that," Elijah remarked to Viktor. "What do you think?"

"I agree," Viktor replied as Amanda smiled widely. "I think she'll do an excellent job."

* * *

"So…" Gwen said to Rebecca and Eli. "When will the two of you be getting married?"

"We don't know, Mom," Rebecca replied. "We figured that after all we've gone through, it might be nice to just be engaged for a little while. That doesn't bother you, does it?"

"I guess not," Gwen frowned. "But don't take too long. I want to live to see you marry at least once."

"I knew you were going to say that," Rebecca replied. "You'll get to see us be married. I promise."

"Good," Gwen replied. "At least little Luke has both of his parents at home now."

"Exactly," Rebecca nodded. "That's our goal right now: getting Luke adjusted to the new living arrangements, and for such a small child, he's handling it remarkably well."

"Good," Gwen nodded. "Cause we wouldn't want a repeat of Robert's childhood. Once was enough."

"Yes, yes, yes," Rebecca sighed. "I know it was hard, but we got through that, didn't we?"

"Yes, we did," Gwen told her. "But like I said, it's not an experience I'd like to repeat."

"And you won't have to," Rebecca smiled and embraced Eli. "Cause it's not like I have to raise my son by myself this time."

"Is that true?" Gwen asked Eli suspiciously. "I mean, we already know you cheated on Louisa. Who's to say you won't do that to my daughter as well?"

"Cause I _love_ your daughter," Eli responded firmly. "The only reason why I married Louisa is because Rebecca wasn't around. But now that she is, I have no reason to have a wandering eye."

"Well, you better not," Gwen told him firmly. "I'm watching you. And if you step out of line, I have a long list of unpleasant things I could turn you into. Like a goat." She grinned. "You'd make a lovely goat."

Eli gulped nervously and let Rebecca go as Gwen picked up Luke. "I think I'll take him out," she said. "He could use the fresh air."

"All right, Mother," Rebecca nodded. "You do that."

Gwen left with him and then Eli said to Rebecca, "Tell me the truth: are you as worried about the longevity of our relationship as your mother is? If you have any concerns, we should address them now."

"I have no concerns," Rebecca shook her head. "And don't listen to my mother. She's always been like this. It's why I never got married before, or had a decent relationship: she scared all the good men away with her scariness, so the only ones that would come near me were the shifty ones I met on the sly."

"Well, she doesn't scare me," Eli replied bravely. "Well, not that much, anyway. I'll just ignore that she even has the power to make my great-grandfather, who delights in scaring the crap out of _everyone_, wet himself (even though he won't admit that out loud) and then we'll be able to have a tolerable relationship." He paused. "Do you _really_ think she'd turn me into a goat like she said?"

"You're a brave man," Rebecca smiled. "I'm proud of you. And I don't think she'd turn you into a goat if you didn't give her reason to."

"Thanks," Eli smiled. Then he said, "So…how long do you think your mother will let us just be with each other before she demands we have a wedding?"

"Not long," Rebecca sighed. "She'll probably nag us every day until we do it. The longer we can ignore her, the longer engagement period we'll have."

"Sounds like a plan," Eli nodded. "So…how good are you at ignoring your mother?"

"_Very_ good," Rebecca assured him. "It's the only way to survive with her. Everything will work out how we want it to. I promise."


	37. A Trying Visitor

"What are you dressing up for?" Louisa asked Robbie. Then she scoffed. "Oh, yeah…tonight's your date with stupid Leslie. Give me your credit card so I can shop away my misery."

She held out her hand, but he didn't give her anything. He just continued tying his tie instead, and after it was tied, said, "Oh, I canceled with Leslie. I was thinking of taking _you_ to dinner instead. But if you don't wanna go, that's fine. We'll stay home."

"But I made the date and everything!" Louisa complained. "It was a damn expensive restaurant. You can't just skip out!"

"I don't think you're listening to me very clearly cause you're still hung up on Leslie," Robbie told her, while taking her face in his hands. "You. Me. Restaurant. Tonight."

"So you want _me_ to go in Leslie's place?" Louisa wanted to know. "But she's gonna be real upset when she gets here and you're nowhere in sight. Cause she doesn't she doesn't seem like the kind of woman deterred only by a simple cancellation."

"I don't care," Robbie replied. "And in the future, don't make me dinner dates with any of my old girlfriends, okay? Cause it just makes you feel unnecessarily hurt, and I hate watching you be upset. Do you like being upset?"

"No," Louisa shook her head. "I don't."

"Well, good," Robbie nodded. "We'll move on then. If you need any help getting dressed, let me know."

"I am perfectly capable of dressing myself, you naughty person!" Louisa replied and gave him a playful slap on the cheek.

"I meant if you needed help with something like your zipper," Robbie clarified. "I know I don't need to come in and dress you." He paused. "Unless you want me to. But I prefer _undressing_."

"Yeah, I know you do," Louisa nodded as he followed her to their bedroom and watched her rifle around for a dress.

"Go with the blue one," Robbie suggested.

"No, I wanna feel hot tonight!" Louisa shook her head and pulled out a red dress that had both a lace bodice and lace skirt. She put it on along with a cardigan, refused Robbie's offer to zip her up, then she took a few moments to curl her hair before stepping out of the bathroom and twirling around with the cardigan off for a moment, which made Robbie realize that the dress lacked a back, which is why she hadn't asked for help with her zipper.

"This good enough?" She asked.

"'Is this good enough?'" Robbie chuckled. "What a silly question. "Of course it is! Now, unless you need to do anything else, let's go to the restaurant!"

They drove there and after ordering drinks, they laughed and chatted, but it wasn't too long before the mood was broken by none other than Leslie White, who came stomping into the restaurant and right up to their table.

Robbie thought he was gonna have to send her away, but to his surprise, Louisa took charge of the situation. "What took you so long?" She asked. "I knew it would take more than just being dumped to make you go away. You wanna be dumped again in person?"

"Oh, would you go away?" Leslie scoffed. "You're nothing but a secretary. What would he want _you_ for?"

"Well, clearly there are many good reasons," Robbie replied. "You know, since she's my date and you're not. And she's not a secretary."

"Yes, but I need specific reasons," Leslie replied.

"Because she's nice, she's pretty, she's smart, and I'm past the point in my life where I find shallow women like you attractive," Robbie told her patiently. "Louisa helped me get to that wonderful place. Now would you go away? You're wrecking our nice evening."

"Well, fine," Leslie stomped her foot. "But you're missing out, you know."

"I'm really not," Robbie chuckled. "Goodbye."

Leslie left in a huff and Louisa told Robbie, "Thank you for saying all those nice things about me. You're really sweet."

"It's not idle flattery," Robbie told her. "I didn't just say it to piss her off. It's all true. And with the way you handled her, I think I'll have to add your bravery to the list."

"Oh, it's not bravery," Louisa shrugged off the compliment. "She's hardly scary."

"Yes, but what that showed is that you're starting to realize your own worth," Robbie explained. "And that's really good!"

"Yeah, but it's not easy," Louisa replied and sipped her soda. "Would you pass me the bread, please?"

"Oh, sure," Robbie nodded and handed her the bread basket. "Here you go. What are you going to eat, do you think?"

"Fish, I believe," Louisa said as she buttered a roll. "And let me guess: you're a steak person."

"Yes," Robbie nodded. "Yes, I am. Well, the food kind, anyway."

"Ha ha, aren't you funny?" Louisa smirked.

"Yes," Robbie nodded. "I really think I am."

They lingered over dinner and shared a piece of carrot cake for dessert before heading back home and spending the rest of the night in front of the television and falling asleep on the sofa in their evening clothes.

* * *

"Hello, Robert," Gwen greeted her grandson over the phone a few days later. "When is it that you plan to introduce me to your new girlfriend?"

"I don't know if I should do that," Robbie replied. "It might be too soon. She's human, you know."

"Interesting," Gwen said. "Why in the world would you pick a_ human_ to be with?"

"Because I like her," Robbie replied firmly. "I like her very much. And whenever it is that I introduce her to you, don't you pick on her."

"Little me?" Gwen asked innocently. "I would_ never_! I put up with all the other guttersnipes you've brought home over the years, haven't I?"

"Louisa is _not_ a guttersnipe!" Robbie corrected. "She's perfectly lovely."

"I have to meet her sometime if you're going to be serious about her," Gwen said firmly.

"Fine," Robbie sighed. "Whatever."

* * *

"I know this might be too much too soon, but I got a call from my grandmother and she says that if you and I are gonna see each other, she has to meet you," Robbie told Louisa apologetically.

"Well, that's not a problem," Louisa replied, turned off the sink in the kitchen, and wiped her hands on her jeans. "I would _love_ to meet your grandmother."

"She's not the sweet old cookie-baking kind," Robbie warned. "She's a bit of a viper. And she seemed really shocked when I told her you were human."

"Does she have a prejudice against humans or something?" Louisa asked. "I mean, not that it'll stop me from being with you if she does, but it's nice to know ahead of time."

"Really?" Robbie asked. "It won't stop you?"

"Think of all the weird stuff I've encountered since I met Eli," Louisa pointed out. "What could your witch grandmother do that would shock me?"

"Don't tempt fate," Robbie cautioned. "I'm sure she'd think of something if the mood struck her."

"Just how bad is she?" Louisa asked, her eyes widening.

"Well, you've seen _Bewitched_, right?" Robbie asked.

"Yeah," Louisa nodded.

"Well," Robbie cleared his throat. "Remember Endora?"

"Oh, my god, your grandmother is like Endora?" Louisa's eyes widened.

"Well, yes," Robbie said. "A little nuttier, even. But I'm sure that if you just be as polite as possible, she won't turn you into furniture or anything like that."

"That's very reassuring," Louisa got out. "And when is it that we're supposed to meet her?_ Please_ let it be as soon as possible."

"It should be," Robbie nodded. "You won't have long to worry."

He had just enough time to tell his mother about Gwen's interrogation before Gwen popped in.

"What a lovely house, you have, Robert!" She called. "It's nice to see you're finally planning to settle down."

"Yes," Robbie nodded as he and Louisa came to meet her. "And this is the woman I plan to settle down with."

"Oh, yes," Gwen nodded, circling her while Louisa tried to stand up straight and control her breathing so the woman wouldn't see she was terrified. "Very nice. Not incredibly gorgeous, but beautiful in an innocent ingenue kind of way."

"Thank you," Louisa said.

"Don't be too proud of your looks!" Gwen snapped. "It's not becoming."

"Sorry," Louisa flushed and kept her eyes averted.

"Are you well-educated?" Gwen questioned.

"I finished high school and then my education got delayed due to my first marriage" (which she had to assure Gwen was over when the woman's eyes widened and she raised her hand, pointer finger high, and Louisa heard magic crackle) "but I plan to continue this upcoming fall," Louisa assured her. "I'm taking some business classes and other things like that."

"Good!" Gwen smiled and lowered her hand. "I won't have the woman Robert is with be idle. It caused his mother enough trouble. He needs to be around someone who has goals and ambitions and direction!"

"Well, I do," Louisa said. "I promise!"

"She really does," Robbie added. "Grandma, you can believe that."

"There's only one more thing I need to check over," Gwen said, getting right up in Louisa's face. "I'm sure that by now, he's told you…what he is?"

"You mean, the vampire-warlock thing?" Louisa nodded. "Yeah, I know that."

"I thought you might," Gwen nodded. "You'll keep that a secret, won't you? I can't have people in my family who blab things like that to everyone they meet."

"Oh, I'll be the soul of discretion," Louisa assured her. "I swear."

"I hope so," Gwen replied. "Cause if you aren't, I'll make sure you never say another word again."

"Y-yes, ma'am," Louisa nodded and chuckled nervously.

"One more thing, and then you'll have my blessing," Gwen went on. "Do you intend on staying human? Or, after a point, will you let my grandson turn you?"

"You can't ask her to do something like that!" Robbie shouted. "And I don't need her to change! I like her just the way she is!"

"Oh, I'm sure you do _now_," Gwen nodded and flattened some wrinkles out of her Chanel suit. "But you won't enjoy it so much when you have to lower her cold, dead human body into a grave with the knowledge that you'll never see her again. Robert, I'm just looking out for your well-being. I don't want you to be in a situation where you'll have to have as long a list of conquests as your mother."

"We'll figure something out," Robbie told her firmly as he stepped in front of Louisa to shield her. "Although you're kind to worry about me, how Louisa and I want to conduct our relationship is our business, not yours."

"Well, fine," Gwen said. "Good luck."

"Thank you," Robbie nodded and led her to the door while Louisa collapsed on the sofa and took some deep, calming breaths. She didn't want to admit it, but Gwen had a point. She and Robbie wouldn't be able to be together for the rest of their lives if she didn't change. If not now, then eventually, she would have to. She figured that Robbie couldn't be the one to do it, since he was so intent on her staying the way she was, but perhaps she could ask Eli. He owed her after all. And she was sure that he had no objections whatsoever. She locked herself into the bathroom and made the call.

"So you want me to turn you _now_?" Eli asked, sounding shocked. "Was this cause of Gwen? Robbie called and told Rebecca she was coming. Don't let her intimidate you into doing something you don't want to do."

"Well, of course I don't want to do it_ yet_, cause I wanna have a family, and can I assume that will be impossible if I turn?" Louisa wanted to know.

"Yeah, for you, it would be," Eli confirmed.

"So I'll wait however long I need to, and then, when I've had all the family I'm gonna have, will you turn me then?" Louisa wanted to know.

"Why can't Robbie turn you?" Eli asked. "Why are you asking me?"

"Cause I don't think Robbie will turn me," Louisa replied. "I think he's too intent on me staying just the way I am cause that's how he likes me."

"Well, if you feel you need to turn, I'll do it," Eli replied. "Just come over when you're ready and we'll get it taken care of."

"Thank you," Louisa said, feeling grateful toward him. "But it won't be for years. I still have a lot of time."

"All right," Eli nodded. "That's fine with me."

Then, Louisa heard a knock on the bathroom door. "Are you all right?" Robbie called. "What are you doing in there? Are you sick?"

"No, I'm not sick," Louisa assured him. "I'll be out in a minute."

"Good," Robbie replied from the other side of the closed door. "Then, we can go see a movie. You wanna do that?"

"Sure," Louisa replied and opened the door. "Sounds like fun. Especially after all we just went through with your grandmother."

* * *

When Robbie and Louisa got home, the movie having raised their spirits after the encounter with Gwen, Robbie was surprised to see his mother's car in the driveway.

"Oh, dear god," he said. "Wasn't dealing with my grandmother bad enough? I mean, I called to tell my mom about Grandma coming, but I didn't expect her to do more than listen to me over the phone. This is torture."

"Yeah!" Louisa cried "What did I do to deserve all this punishment?"

But when they got inside, they found Rebecca sitting on the couch with a bouquet of daisies, which she gave to Louisa. "Heard you had to put up with my mother and it looks like you made it through alive," she said. "Congratulations. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks," Louisa replied. "It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

"Was she well-behaved?" Eli asked, coming from the bathroom.

"Yeah," Louisa nodded.

"Probably because she knew you were human," Eli replied. "If you'd been anything else, you would have seen all the horror that she's capable of."

"Well, I'll consider myself lucky," Louisa told him. "Thanks. Although she _did_ threaten to stop me from speaking if I ever told anyone what Robbie was. But that was the only scary thing she did." Then she smiled at Rebecca and sniffed the daisies. "These are beautiful," she remarked. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Rebecca nodded. "If anyone knows how taxing it can be to put up with my mother, it's me, so I thought you deserved a little reward."

They were silent for a bit and then Rebecca stood up. "Well, now that we've done what we came to do, we don't want to be in your way anymore. We can go."

"Oh, you don't have to go if you don't want to," Louisa said. "I mean, you can. But I think that since everything has been set right with the four of us…maybe we could try and be friends? Or at least be civil?"

"Fine with me," Eli replied.

"Yeah," Rebecca nodded. "But not too often. I'm sure Robbie doesn't want to spend a bunch of date nights with his mother."

"Well, better you than Grandma," Robbie said.

"That's so sweet!" Rebecca smiled and came over to kiss his forehead and give him a long hug.

"Mom, not in front of company!" Robbie whispered angrily while Eli averted his gaze and Louisa giggled

"It's okay," she said. "I think it's cute."

"Who wants a drink?" Robbie asked and broke free of his mother's grip. "You can have anything."

"Just some white wine would be good for me," Rebecca replied.

"Beer, please," Eli got out.

"A _beer_?" Robbie chuckled in disbelief. "_You_?"

"Just get it," Louisa said. "There's no need for extra commentary."

When everyone had their drinks, Louisa made a toast. "To new beginnings," she said. "Although things started out rocky between the four of us, there's no reason that can't change."

They toasted, drank their drinks, and when they eventually left, Robbie picked Louisa up and took her to bed.


	38. A Sharp-Dressed Man

"Amy asked me if I would do something very interesting," Elijah told Selina.

"Oh?" Selina asked, eyebrow raised. "And just what's that?"

"It's nothing dirty," Elijah sighed. "Get your mind out of the gutter, please."

"My mind wasn't in the gutter!" Selina said. "_Should_ it have been?"

"Well, no," Elijah replied. "Amy was telling me a story about how she and Niklaus ran into his son Robbie at the museum the other day, and how they were thinking about bonding with one another. She asked me if I wanted to take part in that."

"He _is_ your nephew, even though he was conceived when Klaus was cheating on me," Selina replied. "I think you should bond with him. Be a good influence, just like you were with Adrian. I mean, the kid probably had no buffer his whole life, so Klaus' whole personality has probably taken over and made him a complete terror."

"I'm sure it's not that bad," Elijah replied. "He would have had a run-in with Father by now that we'd have heard about if he was."

"Well, some people sneak under your father's radar," Selina pointed out. "Think about that."

"You're the only one," Elijah replied. "And you're welcome."

"So, are you gonna meet him?" Selina asked.

"Yes," Elijah nodded, picturing all the ways he would rescue Robbie from the horror of Klaus' personality. "I think I will."

* * *

But to Elijah's surprise, when Robbie arrived with Louisa for their more in-depth meeting, he wasn't at all what he had expected. Sure his hair was a little long for Elijah's liking, but the boy wore a neat gray suit and Louisa seemed very delightful.

"I know you've probably seen a lot of insanity within this family," he said when Louisa and Robbie sat down. "But I can promise you that you won't get any of that here."

"Oh, I'm okay with insanity," Robbie replied. "I've been around it my whole life. It's the calm that's gonna take getting used to."

"I'm sure," Elijah nodded. "So just how much have you seen of your father?"

"Well, we saw him at the museum once, and he was a bit territorial when I said 'Hello' to Amy too, but then we got to talking about art and everything was okay after that."

"Oh, you'll have to excuse my brother," Elijah replied. "He's just naturally very territorial. I think it might be a werewolf thing."

"You know it is!" Selina said as she made her way to the kitchen. "Cause I'm the same way!"

"And Amy and I had a brief _thing_ some time ago, so that could probably be why he's territorial too. But it's over now." Robbie assured his uncle.

"Good," Elijah nodded. "Cause although this family is naturally crazy to be in, it's a lot better if you haven't angered anyone unnecessarily." He paused. "So…what can I do for you?"

"What do you mean?" Robbie asked.

"I mean, what sort of relationship would you like us to have?" Elijah clarified. "You don't seem the type to cling to family too much."

"Well, that's because until recently, I didn't have much family to cling _to_," Robbie replied. "That's why I was such a mess before. But things are improving. I've made some headway with Klaus and you seem willing to take me under your wing."

"He's actually pretty good at helping people who are willing to reform," Selina said and came to sit next to Elijah. "I was troublesome myself awhile back, but he got me out of it, and then, when I finally had my head on straight several years later, he married me!"

"That sounds nice," Robbie replied. "Is it nice? I'll probably have to take advantage of that, if it's no trouble."

"Yeah," Selina nodded and leaned against Elijah, who put his arm around her and gave Robbie a nod. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

At that moment, Amanda came in with a book in her hand and opened it to the page she was on before asking Selina, "Mommy, what is that word?"

"Let me see," Selina replied and took her daughter on her lap. "But first, don't you want to say 'Hi' to Robbie and Louisa? They're visiting your father and me."

"Hello!" Amanda waved at Robbie especially. "I like your hair!"

"Thank you," Robbie smiled. "I like it too."

"What's your name?" Louisa asked her.

"Amanda," Amanda replied.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Amanda," Louisa told her. "I'm Louisa and this is Robbie."

"It's nice to meet you too," Amanda replied.

"'Scarecrow' is that word," Selina told Amanda. "They're dummies that are made up and used on farms to scare birds away. And you're reading the kids' version of 'Wizard of Oz' that I got you? I didn't expect you to start reading that for another year at least."

"Well I surprised you!" Amanda smiled. She gave her mother a kiss and then ran back to her room.

"She seems like a sweet girl," Louisa remarked. "And very smart."

"Yes," Elijah nodded. "It can make her a bit unpredictable at times, but it's part of her charm. Things are _never_ boring around here."

"I can't wait for the next family reunion," Robbie smiled.

"Oh, yes," Selina nodded. "It's fun to get the whole family in one room together. You get a few drinks in everyone and craziness ensues."

"I bet," Robbie replied.

They talked a little longer, and then Amanda asked if she could go visit Rosalie.

"I'll take her if you want to stay and talk longer with Robbie and Louisa," Selina offered.

"Actually, we have to get going," Louisa said apologetically as she and Robbie got to their feet. "We have to go visit Robbie's grandmother. I promised I would and you don't want to know what happens when he breaks his promises."

"It's not a problem," Selina replied. "We hope we'll see you again soon."

"Me too," Robbie nodded. "I'll be back for sure."

* * *

"It's hard to believe that Klaus and Elijah come from the same family," Robbie told Louisa and adjusted his suit jacket. "They're nothing alike!"

"And is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Louisa wanted to know.

"I don't know yet," Robbie shrugged. "Clearly, Elijah was expecting someone different than me. He seemed really shocked when he saw me come through the door dressed all neat like I was. Good call on me wearing the suit."

"Well, a good first impression is important," Louisa pointed out. "He probably was waiting to meet some wicked, foaming-at-the-mouth lunatic and that's not what he got."

"You know, I bet you're right," Robbie nodded. "That's probably it."

"What did you think about Eli's grandma?" Louisa wanted to know. "We didn't see much of each other at the party, but when she ran into the bathroom as your grandma and Mikael were singing because she was laughing so hard…"

"Yeah, she's pretty cool," Robbie replied. "Nothing like Eli at all. But then again, neither is his mother."

"You know, Eli's mom has a hair salon in her house," Louisa pointed out and played with his long blond locks a bit. "How long has it been since you've had a trim?"

"Oh, I don't know," Robbie shrugged. "A year, maybe?"

"A whole year?" Louisa asked, feeling a little shocked because she got hers cut every twelve weeks. "Well, we should get you in for an appointment with Laura then. Granted, she never really liked me all that much, but her client base isn't super big, so we can probably get you in and out quick."

"Well, if it's going to make you uncomfortable to be in your former mother-in-law's house, we can schedule the appointment somewhere else," Robbie assured her and put his arms around her. "I really don't mind."

"No, it's okay," Louisa shook her head. "I'll go make the appointment now."

* * *

Louisa took a deep breath and knocked on the front door of Laura and Edward's house two days later. H

"Are you okay?" Robbie asked, adjusting his suit that he'd worn to see Elijah earlier in the day. "I don't _have_ to get my hair cut here."

"No, you should," Louisa replied. "Laura's really good at what she does, even though she never really liked me."

"Well, has she met you since you got a better grip on your self-worth?" Robbie asked. "And since you and Eli got divorced? She could like you now."

"I hope so," Louisa replied. She then backed away from the door as it opened and Laura looked at them, but this time, she was smiling.

"I love that outfit!" She commented. "And thanks for bringing in a new client. He's a handsome one! Not as handsome as Eli, of course, but…never mind. Come in, come in!"

Robbie and Louisa followed Laura down to the basement and then she pushed him into a chair, running her fingers through his hair.

"You have a really nice natural color going on," she said. "I don't want to do a whole lot with this head of yours."

"Do whatever you want," Robbie said. "I've never cared much about my hairstyle myself."

"Well, that makes sense," Laura replied as she ran her fingers through his longish, unkempt blond hair. "But at least you washed it, so good for you."

"You're not gonna make me bald, are you?" Robbie asked. "Please tell me you won't. I like a bit of length."

"Of course I won't make you bald if that's not what you want," Laura replied. "I'll just cut off your split ends, give you a bit of a brush, and then you'll be good."

"That sounds okay," Robbie nodded.

While Laura was washing Robbie's hair, Katherine came downstairs. "Are these the new people?" She asked. "Well, I know they aren't entirely new, but new as clients?"

"Yeah, they are," Laura replied.

Katherine then strode over next to Robbie and asked him, "Do you wear suits to get your hair cut all the time?"

"Well, no," Robbie said, gasping a little as the water got on his neck. "I met my uncle for the first time today, and I thought I should look nice."

"Wow, you must have _some_ uncle," Katherine said and Laura chuckled.

"His uncle is my dad," she explained.

"Oh!" Katherine nodded. "That explains the suit then. Did you have it, or did he insist on buying it for you?"

"I had it," Robbie replied. "I just don't like wearing it often."

"Ah," Katherine nodded and then went to sit at her desk. "Okay."

Laura then dried Robbie's hair, cut it just a little, and when she was done, asked Louisa if there was anything she could do for her, since she still had some time before her next appointment.

"Thanks," Louisa said. "But I'm good for now."

"All right," Laura told her. "Whenever you want me to do something for you, just let me know."

"Okay," Louisa said in surprise, as she wasn't used to Laura being this nice to her. "I will. Thanks!"

Robbie then took a picture of himself to send to his uncle, and the two of them left Laura's and headed home.


	39. Stuck In Bed

"Are you okay?" Eli asked as Rebecca stood in the kitchen, sneezing again and again, her skin paler than its usual tone, and her body shaking.

"Yeah," she nodded and took a tissue out of her pocket to loudly blow her nose. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Eli asked and came over to put a hand on her forehead. "You're hot," he observed as he felt the warmth against his palm.

"Yeah," Rebecca smiled as she talked, sounding clearly stuffed up. "I know. Whaddya say we go to bed, huh? Wanna have a good time?"

"Not while you're sick!" Eli shook his head. "No, no, no! You need to rest!" He began to push his resisting fiancée to their bedroom. "Let me tuck you in. And maybe you could get into some cooler clothes."

"I'm not sick!" Rebecca protested. "I'm fine!" Then, a wave of dizziness hit her just as Luke came out of his room and saw. She fainted into Eli's arms and closed her eyes as his son burst into tears.

"Mommy's dead!" He cried.

"She's not dead," Eli assured him. "She's just ill. She'll get better after she's had some medicine and time to rest."

He then carried Rebecca to bed, tucked her in as she switched up her clothes, and put a cold cloth on her forehead. "I'll bring you medicine in a little bit, all right?" He told her. "I just need to drop off Luke with my parents and then go to the store.

"Okay, Mommy," she said with a smile and an out of focused look, and turned away from him. "Good night."

He watched her sleep for a little bit, feeling nervous about leaving her alone in her sick state, but then he told himself that he wouldn't be gone for very long. He gave her a kiss, promised her that he'd be back as soon as possible, and then went to get Luke.

"Are you sure Mommy's not dead?" Luke asked his father as they headed out to his car.

"Yes, I am sure," Eli replied. "She's just not feeling very well. It won't take her long to get better."

"Where are we going?" Luke wanted to know as they drove off. "To see Grandma?"

"Yes," Eli nodded. "But my mother, not yours. Grandma Laura."

"The crazy hair lady?" Luke asked.

"Yeah," Eli chuckled. "Her. Exactly."

* * *

"Thank you so much for watching Luke," Eli told his mother as he brought Luke inside his parents' house. "I mean, I know he can't catch whatever germ it is that Rebecca's got, but it'll be a lot easier for me to help her get better if I don't have to take care of two people at once."

"Oh, no problem," Laura said and took Luke in her arms. "I remember how hard it was for me to look after you and Charlie when your father was sick. You were right to bring him here."

Luke looked at Laura (who was still somewhat new to him since Gwen was his usual babysitter) with awe and reached out to touch her hair.

"Blue!" He said.

"Yeah, my hair is blue," Laura nodded. "What do you say we do something with yours, little pumpkin?" She looked at her son. "Do you mind if I do a little something for him?" She asked.

"Just make sure it can be washed off," Eli said.

Laura sighed and rolled her eyes, but was smiling. "You sound just like my father," she said.

"Well, you _did_ name me after him," Eli reminded her before giving Luke a hug and leaving to get Rebecca's medicine.

* * *

"What the hell's all that?" Rebecca asked, her eyes wide as she came into the living room and saw Eli pushing his way through the front door with a large plastic shopping bag that was full of stuff.

"It's medicine," Eli replied. "I didn't know exactly what you needed, so I just decided to get a little of everything. It'll be good to have it for when you get sick in the future, too."

"Not that I'm not grateful for the help," Rebecca said as she stared at the overly full bag again. Gravity was making some of the boxes fall to the carpet, after which Eli picked them up and put them back in the bag. "But since I'm the only one who can get sick in this house-" She stopped to cough. "-don't you think you went a little overboard?"

"No," Eli shook his head. "Now, what are you doing up? I told you that you were supposed to stay in bed."

"What did you do with Luke?" Rebecca asked.

"I left him with my parents," Eli replied. "Now you scurry back to bed." He grabbed various cold medicine boxes and said, "What do you need medicine for the most?"

"My head," Rebecca groaned. "Please."

"All right," Eli nodded and grabbed a box. "You can swallow pills, right? Cause if you can't, I bought liquid too."

"I don't care," Rebecca replied. "Just pick one and I'll take it."

"All right," Eli nodded as she finally obeyed his command. He took a couple of pills from a bottle and brought her a glass of water. "Here you are," he said. "I hope this helps."

"I hope it does too," Rebecca nodded, taking the pills and water from him and swallowing them. "Cause this is absolute hell." Then, an idea hit her. "Can vampire blood cure sickness?" She asked Eli.

"Vampire blood can cure anything," Eli confirmed. "But do you really wanna do that? Don't you think it's a little rash?"

"No, I don't!" Rebecca replied. "You're never gonna know how crappy it is to be sick and I do. So would you please give me blood to cure me? Please? Why are you being so difficult about this?"

"Cause I was kind of looking forward to taking care of you," Eli replied. "I know you're miserable, but can you just let me have one day before I give you blood to change you back?"

"Oh, all right," Rebecca sighed. "The things I do for you!"

He then called his parents and asked if they would be willing to keep Luke overnight, something Laura was more than happy to agree to, sending him a photo on his phone of his son with neon green high-lights, a big smile, and a caption that said, **don't worry. It washes out.**

When Eli got back to the bedroom, he heard Rebecca throwing up in the bathroom. When the toilet flushed and she emerged, he took her arm and led her to bed, then tucked her in again.

"How's Luke?" She asked as Eli put a hand on her forehead.

"He's good," Eli replied and went to get a thermometer. "Mom gave him neon green highlights and he seems to be having the time of his life."

"Well, at least one of us is," Rebecca replied, putting the thermometer under her tongue to check for fever. When it said that she had a body temp of 101, Eli sighed. "I'm just being selfish," he told her, and then went to cut himself so he could give her some blood.

"It's great that you came to your senses so soon!" Rebecca replied when she saw him holding the knife. "Now, with Luke gone, we can have a nice romantic night to ourselves once I'm well again."

But what she didn't realize was that getting the blood down would be harder than she thought. She failed to swallow it no less than three times, and just before the fourth, a pained Eli said, "If you can't get this round down, you'll just have to ride out your sickness, okay?"

"Okay," Rebecca nodded. "That sounds fair." She got her last gulp of blood and poured it into her mouth, gagging but telling herself that she couldn't throw it up if she wanted to get better. She managed to swallow and then sat down on the toilet, breathing hard.

"I'm gonna be okay," she got out. "I just swallowed a bunch of blood, but I'm gonna be okay."

"I'm proud of you for getting it down finally," Eli praised.

Eventually, Rebecca started to feel less and less tired, nothing hurt, and it was much easier for her to breathe. "It worked!" She told Eli. "The blood cured me!"

"Well, I knew it would," Eli replied.

She twisted her mouth. "I guess you got all that medicine for nothing then."

Eli shrugged and leaned down to adjust the cuff of his khakis. "I'm sure we'll find a use for it all," he said.

Then Rebecca let her robe drop down to the floor and zapped herself into her underwear. "You don't fool me," she said. "I think we both know one of the reasons you wanted me to get better." She grabbed him by the waistband of his pants and pulled him to her, undoing the buckle, the zipper, and the button and letting them fall to his ankles as he pulled off his shirt.

"I did it because I wanted you to be better," Eli said against her neck. "But this is an added bonus, isn't it?" Then, he whispered, "You mind if I take a little for what I gave you?"

"You mean blood?" Rebecca asked. "Will it hurt?"

"As long as you don't struggle, it shouldn't," Eli assured her.

"All right," Rebecca nodded and shut her eyes. His lips felt warm and pleasant on her neck, and then she held on tight to him as she felt a brief sting, and then relaxed as he drew her blood out and ran his hand down her back to push down her panties and balance her against the wall to enter her as he licked the remaining blood off her neck.

"Oh, yes," Rebecca said as she laid her chin on his shoulder and played with his hair while he pushed in her deeper and deeper. "That's good. Keep doing that." She then let out a cry right next his ear.

"My god," he said as he pulled out. "That's some voice you've got."

"Sorry," Rebecca apologized and kissed his earlobe. "Is that better?"

"Yeah," Eli nodded and pulled her up against himself again, smiling as he kissed her. "Close enough."


	40. Poking The Bear

"I have to say I'm very surprised how well you and Robbie are getting along," Selina told Elijah.

"I'm surprised too," Elijah admitted. "I thought he would be _much_ more like Niklaus and I'd have to work with him like you and I did with Adrian."

"Poor kid probably hasn't had much of a family life," Selina mused as she came to sit on Elijah's lap. "You're probably one of the first people in his whole life to pay him any sort of beneficial attention."

"That's why I'm really investing time into overseeing how he manages himself," Elijah said and took Selina's hand. "And I might just go see my brother and try to galvanize him into action."

"I'd be careful about doing that if I were you," Selina cautioned. "You know how difficult he can get if he feels he's being pushed too hard."

"Oh, I'm not gonna scold him," Elijah assured her. "I'm just going to make sure he knows what he's missing out on."

"Well, I still think you should be careful," Selina replied and gave him a long kiss.

When she finally let him go, his hair was tousled, her red lipstick was all over his face, and his shirt was unbuttoned, exposing his chest. She gave him a tissue to wipe himself off with, he got up to comb his hair out again, and, after he straightened his suit jacket and buttoned up his shirt, he strode out of the room and went to talk to his brother about Robbie.

* * *

But when he arrived at Klaus and Amy's and went inside, something other than talking to his brother came to his mind: he saw Amy holding Rosalie's hand while her other was carrying two suitcases. Klaus was glaring at this activity from the living room sofa.

"What's going on here?" Elijah asked. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Yes," Amy nodded. "I know it's a bit presumptuous of me to ask, but can Rosalie and I stay with you and Selina for a little bit? After what happened at Rebecca's, I think it would be a good idea for your brother and I to have some time apart."

"Oh, of course!" Elijah nodded and took her bags. "I'll drive you over, if you can wait a little bit."

"Thank you," Amy replied. "I'm extremely grateful."

As they headed out to the car with Elijah's keys, Elijah stayed behind and told his brother, "I hope this is a lesson for you. You brought this on yourself, you know."

"Yes, I know," Klaus sighed. "I don't mean to be so temperamental, but things happen. If she hadn't gone behind my back like she did, we wouldn't be having this trouble now."

"So your way of dealing with this is to blame _her_?" Elijah sighed. "Niklaus, she wasn't trying to cause trouble when she asked me to see Robbie. She was just trying to find a way to get him eased into our family so that when it came time for him to meet you, he'd be prepared. Don't you understand that? And now it's cost you again! Do you love Amy at all?"

"Yes!" Klaus nodded. "You know I do!"

"Well, then show it!" Elijah cried. "How many more times do you think she'll put up with your nonsense before she decides that it's just too risky to be with you unless you straighten up?"

"Oh, she won't really think that," Klaus said.

"She _will!_" Elijah nodded. "And if she doesn't, I might have to encourage her to do so!"

"And of course there you go sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong!" Klaus growled. "First you lure Selina away and now you're threatening to do the same with Amy. Can't I just have one woman for myself without you feeling you need to interfere?"

"Well, once you start acting like a gentleman, then I _won't_ feel the need to interfere," Elijah told him. "It's really something for you to decide, and I should think it would be an easy choice to make between your wife and your temper, but right now, I'm not so sure it's an easy thing for you."

"Get out!" Klaus shouted. "If you're gonna take Amy and go, just do it for fuck's sake!"

"Fine," Elijah replied. "But I really do hope that you can find it in yourself to make the right choice."

* * *

"So let me get this straight, even though you probably don't want to dwell on it," Selina said to Amy as she helped her friend make up a bed in one of the guest rooms. "You're here because you and Klaus had another fight? Did he hurt you?"

"No, he just overturned a table," Amy replied. "But…but he was really angry cause of something _I_ did and I was afraid that after he took out his anger on the table, he'd move on to me after. And just because I wanted his son Robbie to meet Elijah first so he could ease himself into the family before experiencing the bigness of Klaus' personality."

"Well, it was good that you got away, then," Selina replied and gave Amy a hug. "You can stay here as long as you'd like. Believe me, I've been where you've been and it's a hard place to be. Cause when Klaus is good, he's good. And when he's bad, he's _bad_. It's just a question of how much you're willing to put up with."

Amy sighed. "Well, if I were a sane person, I'd probably just leave him now, if not for my own sake, then for Rosalie's. She saw him overturn the table too, and she was frightened."

Selina looked at Amy's face and realized that despite her power, Amy was pretty vulnerable. There were only a few people on the planet who could control Klaus, or at least have enough clout with him to make him listen to them, and Amy was _not_ one of those people. But _she_ was, and she would use that advantage, cause it needed to be used.

After they finished making the bed, Selina said, "I have to go out for a bit. You think you'll be okay?"

"Yeah," Amy nodded. "Thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate it."

"No problem," Selina told her and then headed to Klaus and Amy's without telling Elijah, who she knew would not approve, where she was going.

* * *

"I hope you're proud of yourself!" Selina shouted at her former husband as she strode into the house and caught sight of him. "Just what the hell were you thinking, scaring poor Amy like that?"

"I didn't mean to!" Klaus cried, a little shocked to see her. "And your husband already yelled at me, so I don't know why you're here."

"I'm here because she's my friend and I don't like seeing her be treated like crap!" Selina told him. "Although she may be a witch, you can't just blow up at her like you did. She's not me when I was Lonely Heart and could give back in terms of temper what you put out. You mess with her too much, she could die! Again! Do you understand that?"

"Yes!" Klaus shouted back, coming over to shake her. then deciding against it and keeping his hands at his sides. "I get it! I get my mistake! I already got yelled at by my brother, and I don't need to hear it from you too. We're not married anymore and it's none of your fucking business!"

"It is too," Selina said quietly. "Or did you forget that your temper once ended with me having four broken limbs and being tossed down a flight of stairs? It wouldn't have killed me of course, but if Alistair hadn't been there, it would have hurt a hell of a lot more than it did. And you've already killed Amy once, which is something I will remind you of until it actually gets through that thick head of yours. I don't want it to happen again, cause she's one of the few friends I have anymore. Now, maybe she should have talked to you about the whole Robbie thing, but it's still no excuse to let yourself get mad like that. You gotta control your temper if you're ever gonna be happy at all.

"Well, I don't know if that can be done," Klaus confessed. "I've tried and I've tried, but it doesn't work."

"That's because I'm not sure you want it to yet," Selina replied. "If I can get over my Lonely Heart anger, you can deal with whatever you have going on. I'll even help you, if you want. And I'm sure your brother and Alistair and all sorts of people will too. We're in your corner and we want you to be happy. But we can't just make it happen for you._ You_ have to make the choice to live your life that way. Can you do that?"

"Well, it seems like I don't have any other choice, do I?" Klaus asked.

"No, you don't," Selina shook her head. "Not if you don't want to lose Amy and Rosalie for good."

"Do you think I can do it?" Klaus asked her.

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "I think you can." She then went back to her house where Elijah met her at the door. "Everything all right?" He asked.

"Yes," Selina nodded. "Or at least I hope so."

* * *

"Can I ask you something?" Robbie said to Roxie as he sidled up to the bar.

"Sure kid," Roxie nodded. "What's up?"

"You have a brother, right?" Robbie wanted to know. "I vaguely remember meeting him when I was still a bit…unruly."

"I do," Roxie nodded. "His name's Adrian. Why?"

"Cause I just started to bond with your dad, you know," Robbie began. "Well, _our_ dad," he corrected himself. "And I just want to be sure that a guy can have him as a father and come out of it relatively normal."

"Well, Adrian bonded with Uncle Elijah just as much as he bonded with Dad, so if you can get to know Uncle Elijah too, you should be fine," Roxie assured him as he breathed in relief. "Now, can I get you a drink?"

"Just a soda for me," he told her. "Pepsi."

"All right," Roxie said and poured it just as Adrian came into the bar. "Well, look who it is!" He exclaimed, taking a seat next to Robbie after Roxie told him who Robbie was. "Still causing trouble?"

"I didn't think you'd remember me," Robbie smiled.

"Oh, I do," Adrian replied. "You left a vivid impression."

"Well, I'm much better now," Robbie assured him. "Although that might all go away when I bond with our father."

"Well, I wish you luck," Adrian replied. "Want me to come with you when you do?"

"Maybe just the first time," Robbie admitted. "It would be nice to have someone who could talk me through the meeting."

After he finished his drink, Adrian pushed some money toward his sister and told Robbie, "You got anywhere you need to be, kid?"

"No," Robbie shook his head. "Not that I know of."

"Well, then, why don't you come home with me?" Adrian suggested. "It'll help us get to know each other better and form a more united front."

"Sure," Robbie nodded. "Okay. My girlfriend's visiting her mom, so it'd be nice to have something to do with myself."

They got in Adrian's car and headed to his house. "Helene!" He called to his wife. "We have company!"

Helene opened the door and pushed her dark hair out of her eyes.

"You make a new friend at the bar?" She asked as Adrian brought Robbie in.

"This is my half-brother Robbie, actually," Adrian replied. "He's gonna interact with Dad for an extended period of time pretty soon and I thought I'd give him some pointers."

"You shouldn't need to give him a lot of pointers," Helene replied simply as they sat down. "He's got magic. All he needs to know is that if your dad acts up, he can turn him into a mouse or something. Establishing that sort of equality with your father is very important."

"Wow, that's good advice," Robbie said to her. "Thanks. But can I…can I ask how you would know how to deal with him? And how did you know I have magic?"

"My dad worked for him as a lackey for centuries," Helene replied. "I spent as much time around Klaus as Adrian did when the two of us were growing up, and since my father is one of the few people on this planet who actually can affect Klaus' behavior in a positive way, I learned a thing or two. And I'm a witch myself."

"I'm impressed," Robbie replied, and then turned to Adrian. "When I have to meet Klaus, can we bring her along too?"

"Oh, I'm sure we could," Adrian nodded. "And if Uncle Elijah is overseeing your meeting, he'll probably have a bunch of people around who can keep Dad's temper at bay, so her dad will most likely be there as well."

"My god," Robbie replied, looking overwhelmed. "I feel like I'm going to bond with a lion or a shark or something and not a person." He paused. "It sure explains a lot about my behavior as a kid."

"The thing about Klaus," Helene said, "is that when he's good, he's really good. But if he gets pissed off, you gotta be careful or it'll take a long time to bring the good mood back. I think you'll get through it okay, though."

"You _do_?" Robbie asked. "Well, that's a nice vote of confidence."

"Just don't be afraid to use your magic if you feel you need to, and you should make it through just fine," Helene reminded him. "Now, when are you meeting Klaus again?"

"Pretty soon, I think," Robbie replied. "So you two _are_ coming?"

"Oh, yeah," Adrian nodded. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

* * *

"I have to ask," Louisa said to her mother as the two of them sat at the kitchen table holding cups of tea, their first real time together since karaoke night. "Are you mad at me for getting divorced?"

"If you were unhappy, it was a good choice," her mother replied. "But I can't deny that I'm a little concerned about this other boy you've gotten involved with." She reached out and touched the shoulder of Louisa's bright green dress. "He's changed you so much."

"Yes, but not in a _bad_ way!" Louisa assured her mother. "He's not making me take drugs or forcing me to have sex with him or anything like that. He's just helped me get up the courage to do things that I've always wanted to do, but never have been brave enough to."

"You are such a special girl," her mother told her. "I just don't understand why you need to be so flashy all of a sudden."

"Cause I _like_ it, Mom," Louisa replied gently. "A brightly colored dress isn't gonna change my whole being. It's just gonna make me more confident about showing it off, you know? Robbie loves me for who I am, surgery scars and all. And even though he comes from a very…_colorful_ family, he's worth it, you know?"

"Yeah," he mother nodded and gave her a hug. "I just want you to be happy. That's all."

"Good," Louisa replied. "And I'm gonna tell you a secret, but you have to promise not to tell anyone cause his grandma would kill me if she knew I said anything. Robbie is a vampire. Well, a vampire-warlock. I thought that was what you meant when you were concerned about my being with him."

She expected her mother to be shocked by this, but instead, her mother just smiled. "Well, isn't that interesting? First I meet one, and then you do."

"You met a vampire?" Louisa asked. "Who is it?"

"Oh, I hardly remember," Louisa's mother replied. "We were together for some time, and then I met your father and we broke up."

"Well, maybe he was the one that got away!" Louisa suggested. "And now that you and Dad are divorced, you can meet him again. It might put you more at ease about _me_ dating a vampire."

"He wouldn't remember me if he saw me," her mother replied. "It was so long ago that we were together. But then again, I _do_ still remember the places where he liked to hang out. Maybe if I go to one of them, I could meet him again. Try and rekindle the old spark. Heaven knows I haven't had it with your Dad in who knows how long. Being around him just drains me, which is why I was such a bummer at the karaoke party."

"Well, I fully support you at least giving it try," Louisa encouraged as her mother looked over listings for theater shows. "They're showing _Julius Caesar _a few nights from now," she said. "I think I'll get myself a new dress and go."

Louisa crossed her fingers. "Good luck, Mom!" She said.

"Thank you, dear," her mother replied and gave her a hug. "I'll probably need it."


	41. One Way To Annoy Your Lover

"I can't believe that my mom slept with your step-grandfather," Louisa said to Robbie as they sat in his car in the garage. "Will the surprises never cease?"

"Well, don't think about that," Robbie urged her. "Think about how good it is that your mother knows about what I am and supports our relationship. This is a good thing!"

"Yeah, it is," Louisa nodded. "But if my mom makes us go on a double date with Mikael I'm just gonna go nuts!"

"I'm sure that won't happen," Robbie promised. "Even if she tried, Mikael would decline the invitation. He doesn't really like me."

"What did you do to him?" Louisa asked tiredly.

"Why do you assume _I _did something?" Robbie asked.

"Well, am I wrong?" Louisa prompted.

"No," Robbie sighed. "But I've not been bad in a while."

"And you're welcome for that," Louisa smiled and cuddled against him. "How about we go inside now? We got back like, half an hour ago and we've just been sitting in this car."

"And I don't see what the problem with that is," Robbie replied. "I've found it very enjoyable."

"No, seriously," Louisa urged, taking his chin in her hand so that he would look directly at her. "Why won't you let us go inside?"

"Cause if we go inside, the phone will probably be ringing," Robbie replied. "And I bet it will be _my_ mother complaining about _her_ mother."

"Why?" Louisa wanted to know. "What's wrong with your grandma?"

"She doesn't like your mom," Robbie burst out cause he didn't know how else to say it. "She's got it in her head that since your mom was at the theater alone the other night and was talking to Mikael that she's trying to put the moves on him. Your parents are divorced, right?"

"Yeah," Louisa nodded. "And it's been awhile since Mom's had a serious boyfriend, but I'm sure she won't go after Mikael."

"Well, of course she won't," Robbie nodded. "Cause Grandma will be jealous and psychotic and scare her away."

Louisa reached up and ran her fingers through Robbie's hair. "Would it make you feel better if I talked to my mom about this?" She asked. "I mean, I'm _very_ certain that we don't have anything to worry about, but it might be easier to believe if we had proof."

"So you'll talk to your mom about what her intentions are with Mikael?" Robbie asked hopefully and then moved forward to give Louisa a kiss. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Louisa nodded. "Now let's go inside."

"But what if my mom calls?" Robbie wanted to know. "She's already called like ten times. That's why I had to turn my phone off!"

"If she calls again, I'll assure her that I'm gonna go see my mom ASAP and get the scoop on what's going on," Louisa said. "You don't have to deal with it anymore."

"All right," Robbie nodded and opened the car door. "I guess I can go inside then."

But, as he predicted, the phone rang the second they shut the door. Robbie groaned. "I bet that's my mother. Would you go and see?" He asked Louisa.

"Yes," Louisa replied. She went and answered the phone, not surprised to hear Rebecca's voice on the other end of the line.

"Louisa, is that you? Would you do me a favor and ask your mother what went on between her and Mikael? My mother keeps nagging me to find out and it's driving me insane."

"Yes, I'll find out," Louisa assured her. "I'll go and talk to her tomorrow. Don't worry."

"Good," Rebecca said and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome," Louisa replied. "Talk to you later."

"All right," Rebecca said. "Goodbye."

Louisa put the phone down and Robbie looked at her in amazement. "That," she told him with a smile, "is how you get things done."

"You're very useful to have around," Robbie complimented. "Thank you for the help." He then pulled her to himself and kissed her deeply as his hands roamed over her body. Soon he helped her peel her shirt off, and then her skirt, before picking her up and carrying her off to bed, hoping that no one would call while they were busy.

Once they were both in bed and undressed, he kissed down her neck and collarbone, aroused by her heaving breathing. When he kissed up her inner thighs, she gave a little jump, and when he entered between her parted legs with his tongue, she let out a flurry of giggles which usually meant that he'd hit the right spot. She wasn't really a screamer, which is something he appreciated. He was loud enough himself and the walls and windows could only handle so much before they cracked.

* * *

"I hope you're not mad about me and Mikael," Louisa's mother told her after telling her about her encounter with her old fling when Louisa went to fulfill her promise to Rebecca the next day. "Are you? Cause I swear it's in the past. And that wife of his is determined to keep it that way."

"I'm not mad," Louisa assured her. "I'm just a bit shocked. Dad was kind of a step down. Not that I don't love him or anything. And it's more Robbie and Rebecca who are worried. They think you'll try and rekindle your whole relationship. You're not, are you?"

"Well, once you've dated a vampire who's as rich and classy as he was, _anyone_ is a step down." Her mother sighed. "In so many ways. But I won't try and move in on Mikael romantically, I promise."

"I'm not gonna ask you to expand on the ways Dad was a step down cause I feel it would be too much information," Louisa told her. "Don't take that train of thought any further, I beg you."

"I won't," her mother swore. "I promise."

Just then the phone rang and her mother answered it. "Hello?"

"Claire, it's me, Mikael," said the voice on the other end of the line. "I would like to apologize for my wife's behavior the other night. Gwen can be a jealous harpy sometimes."

"It's okay," she replied. "You can assure your wife that I have no intentions of moving in on her territory. At least not romantically. But I refuse to say away from you entirely."

"All right," Mikael replied. "But if she gives you any more trouble, let me know."

* * *

Despite her resolve not to interfere with Mikael's marriage, Gwen sent her a number of threatening notes that finally made Louisa's mother realize that she had to stand up for herself. As long as she was being seen as a threat, she might as well make the most of it.

She and Mikael made a plan to go out to dinner with the cover that he was going to try and bond with Robbie and Gwen would just be in the way.

"You're not going out what that human tramp, are you?" Gwen asked, eyes narrowed.

"No, I'm not!" Mikael cried. "What part of 'I'm trying to bond with Robbie' do you not get?"

Gwen narrowed her eyes and said nothing more, but after Mikael left to pick up Claire, Robbie, and Louisa, she called King.

"Would you be a good son and do a favor for your mother?" She asked sweetly.

"What?" King asked warily.

"Your father is out with a woman. Come with me so I can keep an eye on them," Gwen replied.

"Fine," King replied. "But only cause you won't let me say 'no', and it's been awhile since Vivi and I have been out, and this is better than nothing."

"Thank you, dear," Louisa told him.

"Don't mention it," King replied. "But you owe me big time."

"I'm your mother!" Gwen cried. "You should be glad to do favors like this for me without expecting anything in return!"

But King thought it would be best not to respond to that, so he just ended the call and then went to tell Vivi to put on her nicest dress because the two of them were going out, although he conveniently forgot to say with whom or under what circumstances.

* * *

Gwen arrived at the restaurant first, watching the couples as they came through the door, looking for either Claire and Mikael or King and Vivi. King and Vivi came first, with Vivi looking very disgruntled.

"And what's the matter with you, dear?" Gwen asked. "Have you and my son had a fight?"

"No," Vivi replied and tried to smile, even though she was mad King had brought her with him under false pretenses. "Everything is fine."

They were led to their table, and then Gwen saw Mikael and Claire a few tables over. "I _knew_ it!" she whispered as she peeked over the top of her menu. "I _knew_ your father was bringing the human tramp here tonight!"

"Mom, why don't you just leave them be?" King suggested. "I'm sure that Dad expanding his social circle is nothing against you."

"Oh, yes it is!" Gwen replied and got up to stride over to Claire and Mikael's table while King flushed a deep red and slid down in his chair.

"Fancy meeting you two here," Gwen said as she came upon her husband and pushed Claire out of her chair and onto the floor so she could take her place.

Mikael ignored Gwen and came to help Claire up, pulling out another chair for her. "And what is it you want, Gwendolyn?" He asked when Claire was settled.

"Nothing," Gwen shrugged. "I just think it's _such_ an interesting coincidence that we're both here tonight!"

"I bet it's not a coincidence," Claire replied. "I bet you came to spy on us! Just how damaged _are_ you?"

"How dare you?" Gwen shouted, rising to her feet. "You're just a petty human! If you think you can be better than me, you're mistaken."

Claire stood up. "Wanna bet?" She asked and gave Gwen a push. The other diners were beginning to stare.

That single push evolved into a knock down, drag out fight that toppled two tables and a dessert cart and left Claire and Gwen both covered in cake and pie. They even had something resembling a fencing match with the silverware, something that Claire was very good at, much to Gwen's surprise. They were escorted out after that, and Mikael went with them. King and Vivi, however, pretended not to know the combatants and were allowed to have a quiet, peaceful night out for themselves.


	42. Domestic Disputes

"What are you _doing_?" Rosalie asked Amanda as Amanda walked around her room with a book on her head over and over again. "You look nuts!"

"I'm practicing my balance so I can be a lady," Amanda replied. "You should try it too!"

"But I don't _wanna_ be a lady," Rosalie said. "Give me one reason why I should."

"No one said you had to," Amanda replied. "I'd just like to have someone come to etiquette class with me. It starts next week!"

"Oh, okay," Rosalie agreed. "I'll ask Mommy. But I'm gonna feel really silly!"

"No, you won't!" Amanda promised. "Daddy and Viktor are teaching it and everyone is doing the same stuff."

"Well, what if the teacher is mean?" Rosalie questioned.

"Do you think Daddy is mean?" Amanda asked. "And Viktor isn't either."

Just then, Amy came in the room and said to Rosalie, "your uncle was talking to me about a class he's doing with a friend of his where you learn etiquette. I think I'll sign you up. It'll be good for you."

Amanda cheered and Rosalie pouted. She wasn't looking forward to it.

* * *

The following Saturday morning, Amanda was up early, about the same time as her parents. She sat down, stole her mother's coffee, drank some, and then asked her father, "How long until etiquette class so I can see Viktor?"

"I should have known," Elijah chuckled and took Amanda in his lap. "Here I thought you were going to etiquette class to learn and the only reason why you're going is to see Viktor!"

"And this is a surprise to you?" Selina asked and then set about peeling the orange she held. "I could have told you _that_."

"But don't worry, Daddy," Amanda assured Elijah quickly. "I'll be happy to be around you too."

"Oh, that's okay," Elijah told her. "I know that. Whatever will inspire you to learn, or at least behave yourself in class, is all right with me."

They had some time for family togetherness, but were eventually joined by Rosalie and Amy, the former, as expected, looking very grouchy.

"Someone seems excited for etiquette class," Selina remarked.

"I'm not excited," Rosalie snapped, putting her head down on the table and shutting her eyes. "It's too early. I'm _sleepy!"_

"Oh, seriously?" Amy wanted to know as she rolled her eyes. "It's after nine in the morning. It's not like I made you get up at first light or something. You're just like your father. He's not a morning person either." She zapped up a bowl of cereal and a thing of blood for Rosalie after asking her nicely to sit up. The little girl began eating with gusto and Amy had to remind her more than once to close her mouth when she chewed.

"Well, it's fortunate that we're starting with table manners," Elijah remarked as he flicked a piece of chewed cereal off his jacket.

Rosalie glared at him as Amanda's heart sank. "You mean I walked around with a book on my head all that time for _nothing_?" She cried.

"Oh, it's not for nothing!" Elijah reassured her quickly. "We'll get there eventually. We're just starting with etiquette lessons that are more practical."

"Are you _sure_?" Amanda asked, not quite believing him.

"Yes!" Elijah nodded. "I promise. Why would I lie about that?"

"I don't know," Amanda shrugged.

Elijah then looked at Selina. "Are you still coming?"

"Yes," Selina nodded. "I can't miss this." Then she turned to Amy. "Unless you want to do something. Then I can stay here."

"Oh, no," Amy shook her head. "Don't stay just for me. I've got plans today anyway."

"When you want to move back in with my brother, let me know so I can come with you," Elijah told her as he stood up. "Please?"

"All right," Amy promised. "I will."

"Good," Elijah nodded and went to put his coffee cup by the sink before turning to his wife. "Do you need help bringing the cakes up?"

"There's gonna be cake at class?" Rosalie asked, looking excited for the first time. "Maybe I'll like etiquette class after all!"

"Sure, I'll take some help," Selina replied in answer to Elijah's question. "If you would take one cake, I'll take the other and we can put them in the trunk of the car."

"Or you can give them to me!" Rosalie suggested. "I'll watch the cake."

"It's a very nice offer, but I think we can handle it," Selina assured her.

After the cakes were in the car, Rosalie and Amanda went and sat in the backseat, buckling themselves in.

"Don't worry," Elijah assured them. "We'll try and make this fun as well as educational."

"Will there be cake every week?" Rosalie asked. "You should do that."

"There won't be cake every week, but I'm sure your mother will let you have a snack when you get home," Elijah told her.

Eventually, they reached the classroom (earlier than the other children, of course) and they found Viktor and Alexandra waiting for them.

"Did you come to watch too?" Selina asked her.

"Yes," Alexandra nodded, ignoring Amanda's glare. "I just couldn't resist. I thought it would be fun!"

"Fun and hilarious!" Selina agreed.

"You two ladies snigger all you like, but we're gonna make a success out of this," Viktor told them. "And we got more boys than we thought we would, so that's a blessing." He smiled at Amanda. "Are you ready for class, dear?"

"Yes, I am," Amanda nodded. "I'm very excited!"

"She's only here to see you," Elijah told him dryly.

"Daddy, don't say _that_!" Amanda blushed furiously.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Elijah told her. "I had no idea it was supposed to stay a secret."

"Well, now you do!" Amanda replied.

"It's okay," Viktor assured her and gave her a hug. "I'm glad to see you too." Then Alexandra cleared her throat and Viktor let Amanda go, encouraging her to go and take a seat. Amanda took a seat next to Rosalie and told Viktor, "This is my cousin Rosalie!"

"Klaus' daughter," Elijah added.

"Ah!" Viktor nodded. "Lovely to meet you, Rosalie. I'm Viktor."

"Hello," Rosalie replied. "I'm just here for the cake."

"Well, at least you came," Viktor replied and then gave up trying to talk to her further.

Eventually, the rest of the kids in the class showed up, and once they were all seated, were presented with their piece of cake. They were supposed to wait until they were given the go ahead to start eating, but since they saw Selina was, that didn't happen.

"Okay, children, we have instructions for you before you can start eating!" Viktor said. "Please stop any chewing that you are doing and swallow."

"Why do we have to stop?" One boy asked with his mouth full, pointing behind Elijah. "_She's _not!"

Elijah turned and frowned at his wife. "I'm trying to teach a lesson here. My god, will you stop eating?!" He snatched the cake out of her hands and put it on the table in front of him, then resumed the lecture while she frowned and tried her hardest not to make faces behind his back (although she did stick her tongue out at him once).

When he finally stopped speaking, he told the children to pick up their forks and get a small bite of cake on them. The kids all got much bigger pieces than he would have liked, which made watching them chew horrendous. "Remember, you have to keep your mouth closed when you chew," Viktor instructed. "Take small bites so you don't choke and don't speak while you're eating. No one wants to see chewed up food."

Despite these instructions, very few of the children managed to follow the directions (with the exception of Amanda, who tried extra hard to impress Viktor, and Alexandra, who had exceptionally good manners anyway.)

"I guess we'll be reviewing this next week," Viktor told Elijah as class ended and the kids were escorted home by their parents. "At least there were a few children who got the point."

"Like me!" Amanda crowed. "I did! Did you see?"

"Yes, I did," Viktor told her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Amanda replied.

"I think you were too soft with them and that's why you didn't have much success," Alexandra told him. "If you'd told them there would be consequences for not trying, I'm sure they would have tried harder."

"Are you suggesting that I should have threatened to hit them with a paddle or something if they didn't listen?" Viktor wanted to know.

Alexandra shrugged. "A paddle or whatever else you want to use to demonstrate that you have authority."

"I don't feel comfortable with that," Viktor told her.

"Well, no wonder our sex life isn't as entertaining as it should be," Alexandra replied and rolled her eyes. "I'll be waiting in the car."

"Don't listen to her," Elijah told him when Alexandra was gone. "I think we did fine for our first day."

"You think?" Viktor asked.

"Yeah," Elijah nodded. "I do."

"And me too," Selina assured Viktor before taking Amanda and Rosalie out to the car.

* * *

"Whatever was going on with your mother must have been resolved," Eli noted as he kissed Rebecca after yet another day of no annoying calls from Gwen. "That's a good thing."

"Yeah," Rebecca nodded and threw her arms around his neck. "I feel bad dumping all that emotion and crap on poor Robbie. He can stand her only about as much as I can."

"Well, the important thing is that you don't have to deal with it anymore, or that at the very least, you're getting a break." Eli then took her in his arms, his lips just touching hers.

But then the front door opened without so much as a knock and Gwen strode in. She looked at them with their lips just touching and grunted in disgust. "There'll be time for kissing later!" She grouched. "Right now, more important things are at stake!"

"If this is about Mikael and the woman he was associated with, I think you're making a big deal out of nothing," Rebecca told her. "He has a romantic past. So what? Let it go!"

"Oh, you're one to lecture me about interfering with your ex's past relationships!" Gwen spat. "I think I should turn that woman into a toad! Or a mouse. Or a fish. Something small I can give Luke for a pet. What do you think?"

"Well, it should come as no surprise to you that neither of us likes that idea," Eli replied. "First, Louisa's mother doesn't deserve to be turned into anything, and second, Luke is too young to take care of a pet. What good would he get out of it if Rebecca and I had to do all the work to take care of it?"

"Well, you two are no help at all!" Gwen shouted. "You might as well just go back to kissing for all the good you're doing me!"

"Okay, we will," Eli nodded.

"Yep," Rebecca nodded. "And you can tell someone who will actually care."

But Gwen got in the last word. She told them that she was just going to tell Luke 'Hello', but when she was gone, he came out and grinned at his parents. "Grammy is getting me a fishy!" He cried with a wide smile as Eli and Rebecca looked at one another and sighed.

* * *

After hearing about the restaurant debacle from Gwen who would complain to anyone in listening distance, Robbie was intrigued about Claire and asked Louisa if he could meet her mother.

"Of course!" Louisa replied. "I mean, if we don't go now, she'll probably ask to meet you at some point."

"Is she scary?" Robbie asked. "Any quirks I should be prepared for?"

"Well, the woman you saw at the party is much different from the person she really is," Louisa explained. "She's actually very worldly and vibrant. But Dad kind of put out her fire, so to speak, and only since they've gotten divorced has she been working on getting it back."

"Ah," Robbie nodded. "So she's like you. Okay. I can handle that."

They reached her house and Claire met them at the door, immediately giving Robbie a hug.

"Well, thank you," he said when she pulled away.

"You're welcome," Claire replied. "It's so nice to meet you. We have lots to talk about!"

They then got snacks and drinks and Claire asked, "Where would you like to start?"

"That's easy," Louisa began. Then she and Robbie said together, "How did you meet Mikael?"

"I thought you'd ask me that, and it's really a very interesting story," Claire said. "And I'd be more than happy to tell it to you." She cleared her throat and began.

"_I actually went to college in England, if you can believe that. My father's job allowed us to travel around the world, so by the time I was college-age, I applied to and got accepted at, Oxford. Mikael wasn't a professor of mine, but he _did_ oversee the fencing club, of which I was a member. He thought I had more promise than any of the others and offered to give me a little extra instruction."_

"That's not a euphemism, is it, Mom?" Louisa broke in.

"No!" Claire shook her head. "Of course not. Can I continue now, please?"

"Okay, why not?" Louisa asked.

"_In my senior year, I had to quit the fencing club because an internship I took on got in the way. When I told Mikael the news, he was disappointed, which I was prepared for._

'_It's a shame you have to go, young lady', he said. 'Considering that everyone else is grossly incompetent. There won't be any hope of us winning the tournament this year, and you know how much I hate losing'._

'_I know it's a disappointment' I replied. 'But I don't have to go just yet. Maybe we could have a drink tonight or something.'_

'_I'd like that very much', He said with a smile. So we went out for drinks and I told him again how much I was going to miss being in the fencing club._

'_Well, I wish there was some way I could keep seeing you' he replied._

'_I do too', I told him and gave him a hug.' _

'_When I began my internship and arrived at what was supposed to be my new apartment, I found that it had mistakenly been given to someone else who had a name similar to mine. And when I informed the person in charge of housing about the mistake, he told me that there were no other places available.'_

"What did you do?" Louisa broke in again. "Wait. Don't tell me you called Mikael and asked him if you could move in with him?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Claire wanted to know. "And don't worry. We had separate bedrooms."

"I really didn't need to know that," Louisa replied.

"You were thinking of asking," Claire told her. "I know it. I lived with him for a year, and we mostly kept our lives separate, except for one time."

"And I assume you want to keep my grandmother ignorant of that?" Robbie asked.

"Yes, I would appreciate that," Claire replied. "Thanks."

Then, Louisa and Robbie looked at one another before Robbie said, "I bet Grandma will find out about that one time. The question is, how long until she does?"

"Oh, dear," Claire sighed.

"Yeah," Robbie nodded. "Exactly."


	43. So Easy To Forget

"I think it was very brave of you to call Declan and ask him to intercede on your behalf with your mother," Eli told Rebecca as he kissed her neck.

"Well, I had to," Rebecca replied. "Robbie's life is just starting to come together and I don't want that ruined because of my mother's petty jealousy about a relationship that Mikael had years ago."

"And the remarkable thing is that she actually listened!" Eli exclaimed in amazement. "Unless of course that toy clownfish that Luke has is her. Is that the reason why it's so big?"

"No, it's not Louisa's mother," Rebecca assured him. "Although I can see how you'd be worried about that. No, Declan zapped up the fish toy and then he and Mom came and brought it here for Luke. You remember that."

"I do, but can you blame me for being suspicious about where it came from?" Eli wanted to know.

"No, I can't," Rebecca admitted. "I'm very relieved that Mom let the whole 'getting Luke a pet' thing go when she saw how happy he was with the stuffed toy. Otherwise, it would have been a total nightmare and we would have had to keep a _very _close eye on Louisa's mother."

"I think there's an easy way to give Louisa's mom a break," Rebecca said.

"And what's that?" Eli wanted to know.

"We just dangle Luke in front of my mom, she'll get distracted, and then she'll be so overwhelmed by how cute he is that she'll completely forget about Louisa's mother and the fact that she once had a relationship with Mikael," Rebecca got out and tried to look optimistic.

"It's your mother we're talking about," Eli reminded her. "Can you, knowing her as you do, say with absolute certainty that what you're proposing is what will happen?"

"Not for sure," Rebecca shook her head. "But we can always hope, can't we?"

* * *

"When will you tell me what happened between you and that human?" Gwen nagged Mikael as she followed him around the house. "She'll be in a lot less danger if you do."

"What makes me telling you the truth about our relationship put her in less danger?" Mikael wanted to know as he turned around and Gwen bumped into him because she'd been following behind him that closely.

"Well," Gwen cleared her throat. "Since I don't know the particulars of your relationship with her, I'm naturally assuming the worst: that you and she moved in together, you got her pregnant more than once, and you had to get married. Is that true?"

"Of course not!" Mikael cried in exasperation. "I mean, we _did_ share an apartment for a year when some housing she'd set up failed to work out, but I never married her or got her pregnant. She was one of my fencing students when she was in school, and quite a talented one."

"So she was just a student and you were her teacher?" Gwen clarified. "That's all?"

"Yes," Mikael nodded. "But I hardly expect you to believe me."

"I do," Gwen nodded. "I guess. But just to make sure…" She sat him down in a chair and asked him to take some truth potion. Then she asked, "How involved were you and Louisa's mother?"

With a sigh, he repeated the same story that he'd told her when he _wasn't_ under any sort of truth potion, and at last, she was convinced. At least about his side of the story anyway. But there was still the matter of Claire, though.

When Mikael was otherwise occupied, Gwen went down to the basement where she'd set up a lab of sorts to make potions in. She made something up that would make Claire forget she'd ever known Mikael at all. After whispering the thing she wanted Claire to forget into the cauldron and then giving it a stir, she poured some in a cup with a lid, went back upstairs, and told Mikael she was going out.

"If you're going to hurt Claire, don't you do it!" Mikael called back.

"I'm not going to hurt her!" Gwen called back. "I promise!"

* * *

Needless to say, Claire was awfully surprised when she opened her front door in response to Gwen's knock and saw the woman herself standing on her front step. "Can I help you?" She asked nervously.

"Yes," Gwen smiled. "But there's no need to be nervous. I just came to apologize for my previous behavior and I thought we could cement our new-found friendship with a glass of wine."

"Does it have poison in it or something?" Claire asked.

"No, it doesn't, I swear," Gwen assured her. "I think you'll like it. It's delicious!"

Claire gave Gwen a long look before inviting her in, realizing that was the only way she'd be rid of her. When they were in the living room, Claire went and got a couple of wine glasses and Gwen filled them up with the potion, pouring her own cup into a potted plant as Claire consumed hers.

"You're right!" She remarked when she put the glass down on the little table next to her chair. "This is tasty."

"I thought you'd think that," Gwen smiled. "If you'd like, I'd be more than happy to let you keep the bottle, and if you want more, just let me know. I have a very large stock of it."

"Wonderful!" Claire smiled. "I'll be sure to take you up on that."

"I regret to say I have to go now," Gwen replied and got to her feet after Claire had had a few glasses. "Can I tell my husband that you send your regards?"

"Why?" Claire asked uncertainly. "Do I know your husband?"

Gwen smiled widely. "No," she said lightly. "But he's been around and he knows so many people. I thought you were one of them."

"Well, I'm not," Claire assured her. "Never saw him before in my life."

"What a pity," Gwen cackled as she opened Claire's front door. "Goodbye, Claire."

"Goodbye!" Claire called after her is Gwen shut the door on her former rival, got in her car, and headed home.

* * *

"It's such a nice late summer day," Selina remarked as she made her way into Elijah's office on a Saturday an hour or so after etiquette class. "Why don't we go outside for a little bit and get some fresh air? Being in this office all the time can't be good for you."

"Yes it is," Elijah remarked. "It lets me get work done that I don't have time for during the week. _And_ I still have lesson plans for the upcoming week to do."

"Ten minutes," Selina urged. "That's all. You can set a timer, and when it beeps, I'll let you come back in."

"Oh, all right," Elijah sighed and got up. "But remember, you promised only ten minutes."

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "I know."

"Will we need to take Amanda outside with us?" Elijah asked.

"No, Amy took the girls out shopping or something," Selina replied. "She needed to get stuff for when she moves back in with Klaus."

"And when is she planning on going back to live with my brother?" Elijah wanted to know. "When it happens, would you tell me? I'd like to be able to escort her there so nothing happens to her and Rosalie."

"Oh, Rosalie's not going at the same time that Amy is, remember?" Selina reminded him. "Rosalie will stay here until Amy has Klaus' temper more under control so she won't be scarred for life."

"That's a smart decision on Amy's part," Elijah acknowledged. "All right. I will come outside and get some fresh air with you, but only for ten minutes, just like you said."

"Good," Selina nodded. "Let's go."

When they got outside, Elijah set a timer and attached it to his back pocket. He and Selina ran around and had a great time for a bit, and then, when the timer went off, Selina grudgingly let him go back inside.

Just as they closed the back door, Amy came in through the garage and smiled at them as she put the bags of things she'd bought on the counter. Amanda and Rosalie followed soon after, each licking a giant rainbow-colored lollipop.

"That was their reward for being good at the store," Amy explained. "Sorry if I overstepped my boundaries by getting Amanda something with so much sugar."

"That's fine," Elijah assured her. "But Selina told me something about you preparing to move back in with my brother? Are you sure you're ready?"

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Amy replied. "I've made a plan for how I'm gonna deal with him this time around, and I'm going to stick to it."

"Good," Elijah told her. "I would feel much more comfortable coming with you when you're ready to leave. I know that might sound like I'm being ridiculously overprotective, but…do you mind?"

"No, I don't mind," Amy assured him. "If you want to come, go ahead!"

"All right," Elijah nodded. "Thank you. Just tell me when you're ready to go."

"I need to pack my things and say goodbye to Rosalie, but that shouldn't take very long," Amy promised. And she was right. He'd just blinked and she was back with her suitcases in hand. "Let's go," she said with a smile.

Elijah nodded and followed Amy out to the driveway. After she zapped her car home, she got in Elijah's and they drove to her and Klaus' house, got out, and then Amy opened the front door with her key as Elijah followed closely behind her.

"Klaus?" She called. "I'm home! Are you here?" Then she felt something speed toward her, and then Klaus was hugging her tight. "I've missed you so much," he said. "I'm so glad you're home!" Then, he pulled away and looked around, allowing Amy to pick up on the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt. She enjoyed the view for a few seconds before bringing herself back to reality by saying (in her head, of course) that she wasn't supposed to be focusing on sex until Klaus was calmed down.

"I'm glad to be home too," she told him. "But things are gonna be a little different between us for a while now that I'm back."

Elijah then took a few steps forward as Klaus asked, "What do you mean by that? Where's Rosalie? And why is my brother with you?"

"I came to protect her," Elijah explained. "Just in case you heard her terms and your temper got the best of you again."

"Terms of what?" Klaus wanted to know.

"The terms of my staying here," Amy replied. "We're resuming our employee-employer relationship until we can get a handle on that temper of yours. That means we will be sleeping in separate rooms, and we won't be intimate."

"Not at _all_?" Klaus asked, looking horrified. "Amy, please! That's inhumane!"

"Well so is murdering someone," Amy replied. "I can teach you all sorts of ways to control your temper and it won't be difficult. Plus, you only have to control yourself around the girls and me. When you're out and about, and hunting, you can be as angry and animalistic as you choose."

"Those are the rules?" Klaus wanted to know.

"Yes, those are the rules," Amy nodded. "If you accept them, I'll stay here. If you don't, I'll pack up again and leave. And I'm sure neither of us wants that. We want you to get better so I can bring Rosalie home and she doesn't have to spend the rest of her life fearing her father." She held out her hand. "So, what do you say?"

Klaus stared at her hand for so long that she thought he was gonna reject the offer, but he eventually took her hand in his and said, "All right. For you and the girls, I'll put in the work. The sooner we get started, the sooner the horror will be over."

"That's a good attitude!" Elijah encouraged. Then he looked at Amy. "Do you need me here anymore?"

"I don't think so," Amy shook her head. "You can go about your business."

"All right," Elijah said as he headed to the door. "But I'm only a phone call away if you need me."

"Yes, thank you," Amy nodded. "I won't forget. Don't worry."

* * *

"Ugh!" Louisa groaned as she came in to the kitchen for coffee on the morning of her first class. "I had a _terrible_ time sleeping last night."

"I know," Robbie replied with one side of his mouth up. "You were kicking quite a bit."

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Louisa cried and put a hand over her mouth. "I didn't hurt you too badly, did I?"

"No," Robbie shook his head. "Luckily you missed me. What was going on?"

"I was having nightmares about the story Mom told us," Louisa replied. "I know it's been awhile since we heard it and she didn't even delve into the specifics to spare us being scarred for life, but my imagination is cruel."

"I'm sorry," Robbie replied and zapped up a pot of coffee and an extra big cup. "You better drink all of this," he urged as he poured it nearly up to the top. "We can't have you falling asleep during class. Sugar? Milk? Cream? Nothing?"

"Milk, please," Louisa told him. And when he pushed the cup toward her, she took a long drink and savored it with closed eyes before swallowing. "Thank you," she told Robbie after. "I really need this."

"No problem," Robbie told her. He zapped up a stack of pancakes and placed the plate in front of her. "Eat that too. You need your nourishment."

"Thank you," Louisa replied and took up the knife and fork. "Speaking of nourishment, have _you_ eaten today?"

"Yes," Robbie nodded. "I did it before you got up. You don't have to worry about me."

"I know, but I like to anyway," Louisa replied with a smile. After she finished her breakfast and downing her third cup of coffee (even asking Robbie if he'd put some more in a travel mug so she could be sure to stay awake in class,) she took a look at the clock, grabbed her bag and her coffee and readied herself to learn about the world of business.

"When should I expect you back?" Robbie wanted to know.

"Well, it's a three hour class and I'm only taking one at the moment to see how the whole thing goes, so I should be back around noon or a little after," Louisa told him.

"All right," Robbie nodded, taking her coffee and putting it on the counter for a moment so that he could give her a hug and a kiss. "Good luck. I know you'll be smarter than everyone else."

"Exactly," Louisa grinned. "Thanks. See you in a couple of hours!"

"All right," Robbie nodded and let her go so she could be on her way. "See you when you get back! I'll even have lunch waiting!"

"Sounds good!" Louisa called back, blowing him a kiss. "I can't wait!"


	44. Mother Of The Bride

After a long talk, Eli and Rebecca realized that they wouldn't have to use their son as bait to distract Gwen. They had a much better option.

"I can't believe we didn't think of this!" Rebecca cried as she held up her hand with the engagement ring on it. "All we need to do to make my mom behave is tell her that she can help us plan the wedding!"

"Are we gonna feel really sorry we did this?" Eli wanted to know. "Is she gonna take over and turn our wedding into an extravaganza we're gonna hate when it's a day we should be enjoying?"

"We aren't gonna let her have _complete_ control," Rebecca assured him with a kiss. "We'll just let her decide some little insignificant things so she'll feel like we care, right? And then she'll be busy and Claire can live her life."

"Well, I still don't know about this plan, but if it's what you want, if you think your mother won't be a problem, then I'll trust you," Eli said. "Go ahead and call her to tell her the plan."

"All right!" Rebecca replied eagerly. "Here's hoping this will work."

"Oh, definitely," Eli nodded. "I'm hoping for this as much as you are, believe me."

Rebecca turned her phone on and called her mother. Gwen answered immediately, and when she heard her daughter's voice, she said, "If you want to know about Louisa's mother, I haven't killed her or turned her into anything. All I did was give her a potion that made her forget about her relationship with Mikael. And five bucks says it won't even work forever cause the one dose I gave her isn't enough. I left the rest of the potion, and she thought it was tasty, but that might not be enough."

"Well, I hope not," Rebecca replied. "If you don't get what you want, I hope it would be a good lesson for you. But that's not what I called to tell you. I just wanted to say that Eli and have decided to start planning our wedding and I wondered if you wanted to help."

"Of course I want to help!" Gwen cried. "Should I come over now?"

"Actually, I'm busy today, so it'll have to be tomorrow," Rebecca told her. "Maybe after lunch? Around one o'clock?"

"Sure!" Gwen replied. "I'll be there! I can't wait."

"Wonderful," Rebecca smiled. "See you then!" She got off the phone and the full impact of what it would mean to have her mother alone help her plan the wedding along with Eli hit her. After taking a few deep breaths, she quickly called Katherine and then Elizabeth and asked if they would come help plan the wedding too.

"Sure," Katherine replied. "I would love to. You think your mother will just make a big mess of it?"

"Well, she _is_ incredibly willful," Rebecca replied. "I need all the backup I can get."

"It's not a problem," Elizabeth told her later. "If course we'll be there. I'll even tell Charlie in cause Eli needs to be entertained."

"Oh, bless you," Rebecca told her. "You and your mother just took a _big _weight off my shoulders."

* * *

Gwen was excited to hear that Rebecca wanted her help with planning the wedding, but was dismayed to find out that she was not the only one Rebecca had asked for assistance.

"And who are these two?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at Katherine and Elizabeth, who sat on either side of Rebecca at the table.

"These two are Elizabeth and Katherine," Rebecca explained. "They're my friends, and they're here to ensure you don't turn my wedding into a monument to yourself."

"I would _never_ do that!" Gwen cried, looking offended. "What would make you think such a thing?"

"Past experience," Rebecca replied dryly. "Or have you forgotten my sixteenth birthday where you threw me a big to-do that I didn't want because you just _had_ to show off the new living room set and china when all I wanted to do was go to the beach and swim and play volleyball?"

"Can you blame me for being proud of that china?" Gwen asked. "It was _incredibly_ rare and it cost me a fortune! Your birthday was the first time that all my friends could get together and that's not my fault. And besides, it was _years_ ago. Don't you think it's time for you to let that go?" She then noticed that they had started with the guest list. "So…who's all invited?" She asked. "Cause I have some people I think need to come."

"Actually, we can handle the list by ourselves," Katherine told her "And there's not a lot of room for extra people."

"But I suppose you can pick two people on your list to come," Rebecca conceded, knowing that if she didn't allow her mother at least a little leeway, she'd never hear the end of it. "That seems fair."

"Let me see that list!" Gwen snapped and snatched it out of Katherine's grip. She frowned at it in dismay. The list was small. "You need it bigger than this! She cried. "You have hardly any guests at all."

"I know," Rebecca replied. "We like it that way. Eli and me both."

Gwen grudgingly wrote two more names, and then Rebecca put a spell on the paper so it couldn't be added to or subtracted from, and asked her mother to make rough drafts of invitations.

"Do I have to do that?" Gwen asked. "That seems beneath me. I want another job."

"You make invitations or you leave," Katherine replied firmly.

Gwen heard this and bristled. "And who the hell are you to tell me what to do?" She asked icily. "You're just a child compared to me."

Katherine heard this and chuckled. "Try again, sweetie. I was born in 1473. When were _you_ born?"

Gwen scowled, not wanting to admit that her birth year of 1510 made Katherine older than her. Old enough to be her own mother, in fact. Instead, she sent some magic Katherine's way, made her bald, and while Katherine was screaming and groaning in the bathroom.

"I'm sorry," Rebecca said when she wasn't to the bathroom to comfort her friend. "Thanks for your help.

"You're welcome," Katherine replied. "I told you inviting us was a good idea. It got her off your back for a time."

"Oh, of course I knew that," Rebecca replied. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have called you."

After giving Katherine her hair back, Gwen was give some time to work and then Elizabeth came to stand over her. "Are you done yet?" She asked.

"You can't rush art!" Gwen snapped. "Please go away! What I did to your mother, I'll do you too!"

"You have magic powers," Elizabeth reasoned. "It shouldn't take you _that_ long to make a rough draft of the invitations."

"Well, fine," Gwen snapped at her. "If you want the invitations to look like garbage I can show you them now. But if you want them to look good, you'll have to wait. Do you understand?" She then zapped Elizabeth into silence.

"Oh, fine!" Elizabeth mouthed and then, looking very embarrassed, went to sit back at the table. Finally, Gwen produced a beautiful invite that made even Katherine "ooohhh" and "ahhh" even though she didn't really want to. Once that was done, Gwen decided that they could stop with the work for a while and do something fun instead.

"You all do that," Gwen said. "I wouldn't want to get in the way."

"You did work too," Rebecca told her firmly. You can come too, if you want."

"All right," Gwen replied. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Rebecca replied and pulled out her keys as the four women made their way out the door to go to a pizza restaurant about a mile away.

* * *

"How's this whole wedding thing going?" Charlie asked his brother. "Not too overwhelming is it? Are you just leaving things up to the ladies and stuff like that?"

"Not entirely," Eli shook his head. "Rebecca asked for my input if it's something she thinks I care about. Like the whole wedding isn't just her friends. I got to pick who to invite too. And I picked the venue as well. She let me do something fancy."

"Did she?" Charlie asked, looking amazed. "I don't know why I'm so surprised, though. Rebecca seems to be more flexible about stuff like that than Rebecca is."

"Well, Luke's gonna be in the wedding and since he's still a child, we don't want it to be too formal so he'll get bored. It's mostly gonna be fun. The venue I picked is our yard. That'll let Luke run around without there being any worry about him breaking something valuable, and I'm sure that with her powers, Rebecca can make it look nice."

"I can't wait," Charlie told him. "When I have to be measured for my best man tuxedo, let me know!"

"All right," Eli told him. "I will."

"I _am_ your best man, right?" Charlie asked. "I don't want to presume. Well, I guess I already did, but-"

"Don't worry, you are," Eli promised. "Who else would I pick."

"Good point," Charlie replied. "Is it an official best man duty to tell Mom and Dad about the wedding?"

"Well, you can be with me when I tell them," Eli nodded. "I mean, I'm not anticipating there being any problems."

"Me either," Charlie replied. "But you never know."


	45. Look How Far We've Come

"Are you okay with me and Rebecca getting married?" Eli asked his mother.

"Sure," Laura nodded. "If it makes you happy, I think you should go ahead."

"If there's anything wrong, you should tell us so we can deal with it," Charlie added.

"No, I'm _fine_," Laura insisted to her older son. "If I can make it through you and Elizabeth getting married, I will also support Eli and Rebecca."

"Well, thank you," Eli told her. "I know you were a bit nervous about Rebecca before so I just wanted to make sure."

"The only reason why I was concerned about Rebecca before was because I felt she was leading you down the wrong path (and you were married), but now that things have been sorted out and you two seem happy, I have no objections, I promise," Laura told her son. "Do you think Rebecca will need someone to do her hair for the wedding? Cause I will!"

"I'm sure she'll be very pleased when I tell her that," Eli replied, inclining his head graciously. "To tell you the truth, I think she missed seeing you."

"Well, that's sweet," Laura nodded. "But I hope she understood why I was reluctant to talk with her while things were rocky between you two."

"Yes, I suppose," Eli sighed. "But we're not gonna bring that up, okay? It's in the past."

"Oh, I won't," Laura promised. "Don't worry. We're moving forward now."

"Good," Eli smiled. "Wonderful." He paused then to look at his brother. "Do we need to talk to anyone else before the wedding happens? Like Grandma and Grandpa?"

"It probably wouldn't hurt," Charlie agreed. "Especially on Grandpa's end. You know he was sort of disappointed in you."

Eli sighed. "Oh, I know," he said. "But he has to know that I'm doing much better now."

"Well, let's go over and see, shall we?" Charlie asked. They said goodbye to their parents and headed over to Elijah and Selina's to tell them the good news (and, of course, to ask Selina to make the cake.)

* * *

"You and Rebecca are finally getting _married?"_ Selina burst out and ran to hug Eli tight before Elijah had a chance to get any words out. "I'm so happy everything got itself sorted out so this could happen! I'll make the cake. Do you want me to make the cake? Oh, I'm _so_ excited!" She bustled back to her chair at the kitchen table and sat back down, a huge smile on her face.

Having gotten his grandmother's approval (which he'd known from the start wouldn't be hard), Eli now turned to look Elijah in the eye. "What do you think about this?" He asked.

"Are you expecting me to say I disapprove and scold you?" Elijah wanted to know. "Why would I do that? You obviously love Rebecca and your son, and things have been straightened out with Louisa so you're both happy. What reason would I have to disapprove of this now?"

"I can't think of any," Eli admitted. "But I just wanted to be sure you were okay with it after all that's happened."

"Of course," Elijah nodded and caught Selina's eye. "Who among us hasn't fallen in love with someone who wasn't available and had to jump through so many hoops and wait so long to get to be with the person we want to be with?"

Selina smiled then and reached over to squeeze his hand. Elijah picked it up and kissed it, then remembered that both Eli and Charlie were watching. "Sorry about that," he apologized, becoming serious again. "When are you having the wedding?"

"The beginning of November," Eli replied. "And it'll take place in the backyard of our house. After a lot of talking, Rebecca and I thought that would be easier for Luke than him having to sit forever in some stuffy building."

"It sounds sensible," Elijah nodded with approval. "And what's the dress code?"

Eli shrugged. "I'm not pushing for anything in particular," he said. "As long as everyone is wearing something that looks neat and isn't torn or dirty, it's acceptable."

"All right," Elijah nodded and made a mental note.

Then Eli looked at Selina again. "Do you need me and Rebecca to make an appointment with you to come talk about the design of the cake?" He asked.

"You don't need to make an appointment," Selina said. "Except for the early afternoon when I have to drop Amanda off at school and then when I have to go pick her up, I'm basically free. You and Rebecca just pick whatever time is best for you, and chances are good that I'll be available."

"All right," Eli nodded. "Sounds good."

* * *

"Oh, my god!" Robbie said as he plodded into the house. His face was red and he looked upset.

"Are you okay?" Louisa asked, running to him. "What's happened?"

"Look at this," Robbie said and handed a white envelope to Louisa. She opened it and saw the words _"Elijah James Emerson and Rebecca Danielle Hamilton request your presence at their wedding on the first of November at their home at 3 in the afternoon._

"My mother is getting married," Robbie said, rocking back and forth and looking horrified. "My mother is getting married. To Eli, who's younger than _me_!"

"We don't have to go if you don't want to," Louisa told him. "I mean, it's your mother marrying my ex-husband. How much more awkward can you get?"

"True," Robbie nodded. "And I bet they don't expect us to come. They probably just sent this to us as a courtesy."

"I bet they did," Louisa agreed. "I mean, it would probably be nice of us to invite them over for drinks or something as a way to say 'congratulations', but that's all."

"I think I'd be able to tolerate that," Robbie got out.

"What would you like to do instead?" Louisa wanted to know. "Go see a movie? Stay in? Take a vacation?"

"A vacation would be nice," Robbie replied. "But are you sure you're ready to take a trip with me? And what about your class?"

"I'll check with my professor and see if I can't make up the work ahead of time," Louisa said. "Don't you worry about it; It's not a problem."

"Good," Robbie nodded. "Cause I wouldn't want to get you in trouble."

"You won't," Louisa replied. "I'll make sure of that. Now, where do you want to go?"

"Mom's always talking about this lake cabin Grandma used to take her to when she was a kid," Robbie said. "Maybe if I ask her, we can stay there."

"Oh, that sounds lovely," Louisa sighed. "I think you should go and ask about that."

"Don't worry," Robbie said as he whipped out his phone and dialed his mother's number. "Already on it."

* * *

"I don't see Robert anywhere," Gwen huffed as she strode into the dressing room while Laura did Rebecca's hair before the wedding. "Would you like me to grab him by his ear and bring him here?"

"No," Rebecca told her mother flatly. "Eli and I only sent him and Louisa an invitation out of courtesy. Neither of us expected them to actually show up. It would be too awkward, and I don't want Robbie to be embarrassed. I gave him and Louisa the keys to our lake cabin instead and I hope they took them and are having a wonderful time thinking about other things than the wedding of their mother and ex-husband."

"I still think he should be here to support you," Gwen huffed again.

"Don't you dare bring him here," Rebecca admonished. "That'll just embarrass everyone. Leave it alone!" She then asked Laura to hand her the walkie talkie on the table. Laura did so and Rebecca got hold of Mikael. "Would you please come and take my mother out of my dressing room?" She asked.

"Of course," Mikael replied. "I'm on my way. Selina's approaching with the cake, so it's the perfect excuse for me to leave."

"You didn't have to call him," Gwen scowled. "I would have left on my own."

"No, you wouldn't," Rebecca said dryly as Mikael appeared and pulled Gwen away. "See you later, Mother." Then she smiled at Laura in the mirror. "Thank you for being so much more easy-going about this," she said.

"You're welcome," Laura replied. "Stay here. I have to get something out of my car, all right?"

"Sure," Rebecca replied. "No problem."

When Laura exited, she left the door open and Luke, who was dressed in cords and a green polo, came running in. "Hi, Mommy!" He exclaimed. "You look pretty!"

"Well, thank you," Rebecca told him. "I'm almost finished getting ready so why don't you go see Daddy or Grandpa or someone, okay? I'll be out in a minute."

"All right," Luke nodded. But he gave his mother a hug and a kiss on the cheek before leaving to run back to Edward, who was keeping an eye on him.

When Laura had finally finished making Rebecca up, she went to tell everyone to get in place. When the music began, Rebecca's cue to walk down the aisle, everyone went "Aww!" when they saw that it was Luke who held his mother's hand and was escorting her. When they reached the end of the aisle, he put his mother's hand in his father's and then ran over to sit on Edward's lap.

Then, as Rebecca and Eli looked into each other's eyes, he said, "I know this moment's been a long time coming. We've done things that we weren't proud of. We've had our ups and downs. It was hard at times, but I'm so glad that we were able to get through all the bad stuff. Cause now, tonight, here I am, marrying the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and the one I'll never stop loving, ever."

Rebecca wiped her tears away and said, "We _have_ been through a lot, and you've always stuck by me, even when I was horrible and didn't deserve it. You believed in me and had faith that I could be my best self. I have to thank you for that. I thank you for your love, I thank you for your patience, and I thank you for the opportunity to let me be with you forever. And for the knowledge that next time I have a child, for the first time in my life, I won't have to go through it alone, cause you'll be there, right beside me, holding my hand and telling me that everything is gonna be all right. I love you too, Eli. So, _so_ much."

They then did the rest of the vows, kissed, and then brought Luke back and each kissed him on the cheek and hugged him, not just confirming their commitment to each other, but to their son as well. That was followed by audience applause, congratulations, and cake.


	46. Wanting A New Life

"Please don't let what I'm about to tell you freak you out," Louisa told Robbie. "But I remember what you said a while ago about you wanting to have six or seven kids, and as it seems like I _will_ be the mother of those children, I made myself an appointment get checked out, you know? Just so we can be sure that everything is good to go."

"Okay," Robbie nodded. "I think that's a good idea. Would you like me to come with you?"

"That's sweet of you to offer," Louisa told him and gave him a kiss. "But I really don't think you need to."

But when she came back from her appointment the next day, she had tears in her eyes, and when she went to hug Robbie and lapsed into sobs, to his shock, he smelled alcohol on her breath. "What happened at the appointment?" He asked. "What's wrong?"

"The doctor said I can't have any babies!" Louisa got out after managing to catch a breath. "I'm barren and useless. No babies for us!" Then, she lapsed into tears again, and Robbie just held her, muttering assurances that she probably didn't hear into her hair.

Eventually, he let her go and she said that she wanted to rest. "All right," Robbie nodded. "That's probably a good idea. Maybe after you've rested, things will look better."

"Not really," Louisa shook her head. "I still won't be able to have kids after I rest."

"But there are alternatives," Robbie reminded her. "We can adopt or get puppies or something! Puppies are kind of like children, aren't they?"

"Yeah," Louisa sniffled. "I guess."

"There you go!" Robbie cried and kissed her. "We made some progress!" He then followed her to their bedroom and tucked her in. "You get a good rest," he told her. "And I promise that this will not affect how I feel about you. Whether you can have kids or not, I'll love you just the same, okay? Do you understand that?"

"I'll try to," Louisa nodded and managed a small smile for him.

"Good girl," Robbie nodded before turning off the light and shutting the bedroom door behind him.

* * *

After leaving Louisa in bed, he called Savannah and asked her to come watch over her until he came back from Elijah's and make sure she wouldn't do anything drastic (despite his assurances that he was totally okay with not having children as long as they were together, she still wasn't buying it, and he was afraid that her sadness over 'letting him down' would make Louisa hurt herself if she was left alone with her sorrow), and when Savannah agreed and reached the house, Robbie left and headed for his uncle's place.

"Robbie!" Elijah cried when he invited his nephew inside. "How are you?"

"Not so good," Robbie sighed. "You seem smart. I was hoping you could give me some advice."

"Of course," Elijah nodded. "What about?"

"Well," Robbie sighed. "Louisa and I were talking some time ago and I told her that some day when I met the right woman, I wanted to have six or seven kids. Now I've discovered she _is_ the right woman, but she just found out she can't have any kids, so she's upset right now and feeling like she let me down. I've tried to tell her that it doesn't matter, but it's not getting through. What should I do?"

"Well, when did she find out she was unable to have children?" Elijah wanted to know? Was it fairly recently?"

"Yes," Robbie nodded. "Yesterday, as a matter of fact."

"She hasn't had much time to process the news then," Elijah replied. "And she's probably still in shock. Just give her time and keep showing that you care for her, and I bet she'll come around." He then turned to Selina who, as usual, had come in after eavesdropping on the conversation, and said, "Darling, you're a woman. What do you think about this? And don't try to play innocent. I know you've been listening."

"Who, _moi_?" Selina asked, feigning shock and putting a hand to her chest before admitting, "Yeah, you're right. I've been listening." She thought a moment and then said, "I think you're both on the right track here. As long as you don't constantly assure her that everything's gonna be better or make it seem like her getting better is important cause it hurts you to watch her be upset (cause while that may be true, saying it makes it seem like you care more about your own emotional discomfort than hers), but show that you love her and will be there for her when she needs you, she'll come around eventually. I'm sure of it."

"You are?" Robbie asked. "Really?"

"Well, yes," Selina nodded. "I know it's not quite the same thing, but I had a big emotional upheaval at one point and Elijah got me out of it even though it took a few years of slow, patient nudging although I'm sure there were times he wanted to shake me to get me to think the right way."

"Oh, of course I didn't think that way!" Elijah cried.

"Yes, you did," Selina nodded and pretended to bite his neck. "Don't you even lie."

"Well, all right, I did," Elijah admitted. "But to my credit, it wasn't very often."

"At least not that I saw," Selina said and kissed the top of Elijah's head. "You two need me for anything else."

"Not at the moment," Elijah shook his head. "But if we do, we'll let you know. I promise."

"All right, then," Selina nodded and headed back to the library to let Robbie and Elijah talk in peace.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Robbie, after he left, Louisa's whole demeanor finally changed. She wiped her eyes and nose and asked Savannah to please bring her the phone.

"Who are you calling?" Savannah wanted to know.

"Just a friend," Louisa said. "I'm fine, really. I _swear_."

"Well, all right," Savannah sighed and brought her the phone, and then asked if she'd be all right for a few minutes while she went to the bathroom.

"Sure," Louisa nodded. "Of course."

Savannah left then and once she was gone, Louisa locked herself in the bathroom and made a call to Eli (his and Rebecca's honeymoon had been brief: just a weekend alone while Luke stayed with Laura and Edward). When he answered the phone, he seemed puzzled. "Yes?" He asked. "Louisa, what can I do for you?"

"I want you to turn me in a vampire," she said, her voice low. "Robbie won't do it, and the only reason I was waiting was because I wanted to have kids. But I just found out I'm infertile, so there's no point in waiting anymore."

"Does Robbie know about this?" Eli wanted to know.

"Of course he doesn't!" Louisa shot back. "If he did, he wouldn't let me do it at all. So…will you turn me or not?"

There was a long silence on the other end of the line, to the point where Louisa was sure Eli wouldn't do what she wanted. Just as she was about to hang up, though, he said, "All right, I'll do it. Come over now if you can, before I lose my nerve."

"All right," Louisa nodded. "And Eli…thank you for doing this for me."

"No problem," Eli replied. "After all I put you through, it's the least I could do."

Louisa then came out of the bathroom and found herself facing Savannah, who asked her if she was all right.

"You were in there awhile. I was beginning to worry," she said.

"Oh, no, I'm fine," Louisa assured her. "Can I borrow your car? I think that a drive in the fresh air will do me some good."

"You_ do_ seem better," Savannah admitted. "All right, you can go. But make it quick. Robbie might get upset with me if he comes back and finds out that I let you leave."

"No, problem," Louisa smiled as Savannah handed her the keys to her car. Then Louisa went outside and drove to Eli's.

* * *

When she arrived, he ushered her into one of the family rooms, quickly cut his wrist, put the blood in a cup, and watched, his whole body tense, as Louisa swallowed it.

To his surprise, she got it down without gagging and then said, "You have to kill me now, don't you?"

"Well, yes," Eli nodded. "I'm afraid that's true."

"All right," Louisa nodded and took a shaky breath. "I can handle this. It's not like I have any other choice."

"But you _do_!" Eli assured her. "You can still live! This isn't your only option."

"Yes it is," Louisa sighed. "I know you don't understand, and I wouldn't expect you to, but it is! Now let's just suffocate me with a pillow already, so we can move on."

"Actually," Eli said, "That's a bit too…personal, for me. I think I'm gonna use a gun instead. Of course, I have to go out and get one first…but that's good cause it'll give you time to think this through some more."

So he left and Louisa tried to do as he'd asked and think about living longer as a human, but the more she thought about it, the less appealing it seemed, and finally, when he returned with the gun, she said, "I tried to change my mind, but you'll have to shoot me."

"You'll have to be patient," Eli replied. "I'm not a very good shot." This was true, and he fired several bullets that missed before he finally got closer and shot her in the stomach. He watched her struggle in the last few minutes, taking her hand and apologizing profusely before she finally closed her eyes and all he could do was wait and hope that nothing had gone wrong.


	47. Communication Breakdown

After her transformation, Louisa decided (even though she knew it was a bad idea) to avoid Robbie. She went to stay at her mother's house, asked her to make excuses to Robbie about where she was, and was very surprise by how calm her mother was about the whole situation, even though she shouldn't have been surprised at all.

"So you can't have children?" Her mother asked. "I'm sorry, sweetie."

"Oh, I should have seen it coming," Louisa sighed. "They mentioned before I had the weight loss surgery that it might lead to some sort of difficulty with that."

"Yeah, I remember," Claire nodded, taking her daughter in her arms and kissing her. "Can I assume you told Robbie?"

"I did, yes," Louisa nodded. "And he says he's fine, but I…I'm still trying to accept that."

"And that's why you became a vampire?" Claire asked. "Cause you can't have kids?"

"Yeah," Louisa nodded. "I know it's crazy and kind of selfish, but I thought that if I couldn't give Robbie children, the least I could do was make sure we would be together forever." She paused. "But he probably won't like it. I had to ask Eli to turn me because Robbie likes me to be human."

"Well, that ship has sailed," Claire replied. "And hiding out here isn't gonna change that. You have to tell him what's happened. We've been making excuses long enough."

"All right," Louisa replied. "I'll tell him now. I promise."

* * *

Robbie was alone at Eli and Rebecca's when he got the call from Louisa. He was making up a surprise dinner for his mother and Eli as an apology for missing their wedding and nearly dropped a handful of silverware when he heard her voice.

"Louisa!" He cried. "I'm so glad to finally talk to you! Every time I've called your mother's house, she always says that you're out. Are you okay? How are you coping with what's going on?"

"Oh, much better," Louisa confessed.

"Good," Robbie replied. "Listen, I'm doing a surprise dinner for my mom and Eli cause we missed their wedding. Wanna come and keep me company?"

"Okay," Louisa nodded. "But first, I have to confess something: The reason why I've been gone isn't because of what the doctor told me. Well, at least not entirely. It's because I've decided that since I can't have kids, I wanna be a vampire instead. I had Eli change me cause I knew you wouldn't like it. Are you mad at me?"

There was a long silence on the other end of the line, just as Louisa had feared, then Robbie replied, "we'll talk about it later, but I think you know the answer to that. However, it's your choice about how to manage your life, even if it's rash and wrong, and you'll probably regret it."

"If it keeps us being together forever, why would I regret it?" Louisa wanted to know.

"Oh, I don't know," Robbie snapped. "Now, do you want to come to my mom's to help me with the thing for her and Eli or not?"

"Do you want me to come?" Louisa wanted to know. "Or would my presence just make you more pissed off than you already are?"

"I just wish you would have talked to me first instead of going behind my back and asking Eli!" Robbie cried. "How hard would that have been? Is there some difficulty with it that I'm not aware of?"

"Yes!" Louisa cried. "You're not aware of it because you don't let yourself be. It's nice to know that you accepted me as a human, regardless of how flawed I was. In fact, you're probably one of the few people outside my family who actually did. But now that I know I can't have kids, I don't see the point in being human anymore."

"You don't see the point in being human anymore?!" Robbie cried. "You're just throwing yourself away because of something that I've told you repeatedly is not a problem?"

"I'm not throwing myself away!" Louisa yelled. "I'm just changing a bit. But I'm the same person I always was. And to prove it to you, I'm coming to Rebecca and Eli's dinner whether you like it or not!" She ended the call then and headed to Eli and Rebecca's.

* * *

When he opened the door in response to Louisa's knock, Robbie's face was tight and angry, and for a moment, Louisa's confidence about her decision to change failed her and she just about turned and ran away. But she managed to stay firm and stride in.

"They here yet?" She asked.

"No, but they will be soon," Robbie replied. "And when they get here, I'm punching Eli in the face!"

"Because he turned me?" Louisa asked.

"Well, yeah!" Robbie nodded. "I've come to terms with all the other shitty stuff he's done. This is all that's left."

"I thought this whole party was you doing something nice for them," Louisa said. "Won't punching Eli in the face ruin the mood a little?"

"Probably," Robbie shrugged. "But I don't really give a fuck at this point, honestly."

Louisa sighed. "I know what I did upset you," she said. "But I refuse to let you make me feel bad about it. I did what was right for me, and that's that."

"Okay," Robbie nodded. "Fine, whatever, I get it."

It was then that Eli and Rebecca came in, and, just as he'd promised, Robbie punched Eli in the face.

"Hey!" Rebecca cried as she held onto her husband while blood poured from Eli's nose before it healed. "What the hell was that for, Robbie?"

"Ask him what he did to Louisa," Robbie told her. "He brought this on himself!"

"What did you do to Louisa?" Rebecca asked him.

"He turned me into a vampire," Louisa told her. "Because I asked him to."

"Yeah, and he could have done something like tell her, "No, I don't think Robbie would like that, so I won't', but he didn't," Robbie huffed.

"And you know why that is?" Eli shouted back. "Because the fact that you don't like it shouldn't stop Louisa from doing something she wants to do! And if you think it does, I really feel bad for the future of your relationship with her."

"Well it couldn't be any worse than _yours_ was!" Robbie shot back.

"Enough!" Rebecca shouted at last, which made everyone lapse into silence. "This dinner is supposed to be celebrating the fact that we got married. I won't let it be ruined by fighting. Let's just eat and then you can go back to your petty and unnecessary squabbling."

They did, but things were tense and uncomfortable, and as soon as Robbie's plate was empty, he stood up and grabbed his coat.

"Are you going home?" Rebecca wanted to know.

"No," Robbie said, his expression a mix of deep hurt and anger. "I'm not, cause 'home' isn't home anymore, since a person who kept something from me and went behind my back lives there. Maybe I'm being unreasonable and a bit tyrannical, but that's still no reason to do what you did the way you did it. You could have talked to me. Explained things so I could better understand your point of view, but apparently, I don't deserve that kind of courtesy, do I?"

"Well, Robbie I—" Louisa began.

"No, don't," Robbie shot back. "You don't even need to say more. I've heard enough. Fuck you if you can't even trust me enough to have a talk with me when you feel bad about something. I've always been in your corner. Always. And this is how you pay me back?" He looked around the room. "Fuck _all_ of you. Not a single person in this room actually gives a shit about me. I'm gonna go somewhere that has people who do."

"And where's that?" Louisa got out.

"If I ever feel you deserve to know, you will," Robbie replied before slamming the door behind him and driving away, leaving Rebecca, Eli, and Louisa to sit in awkward silence.

* * *

To say that Klaus was surprised when he found Robbie standing on his doorstep and asking to move in for a while would be an understatement.

"You want to move in with me?" He asked in shock. "Why? We barely know each other."

"Do you know what it feels like to have people treat you like crap all your life and do horrible stuff to you behind your back?" Robbie asked.

"Yes," Klaus nodded. "As a matter of fact, I do."

"Well, that just happened to me, and I figured you'd be the only one who would understand," Robbie told him. "So can I stay?"

"Of course," Klaus nodded. "It's not like we don't have room. And do I need to call anyone and tell them you're here?"

"No," Robbie shook his head. "I'd rather no one know until I feel they need to."

"All right," Klaus replied and led him to an empty room that was large and very sparsely decorated. "I hope this will work for you."

"Oh, it'll be fine," Robbie replied. "Thanks a lot for this, Klaus. I really appreciate it."

"Well, you're welcome," Klaus replied. "It's no trouble at all."

* * *

"So, what do you think of going to school?" Viktor asked Amanda, who had just started.

"It's okay," Amanda replied. "I'd like it a lot better if _you_ were teaching me."

"Oh, I don't know if you would," Viktor replied. "If I were teaching you, I'd have to treat you like any other student. I couldn't be nice to you just because we know each other."

"Why not?" Amanda cried. "What's the point of us knowing each other if you can't be nicer to me than everyone else?"

"Well, I'm sorry," Viktor replied. "But that's just how it is. Do you need any help with anything? Cause I'd be more than happy to-"

"No thank you," Amanda said icily and kicked him in both shins. "I can do work by myself. I'm smart and I don't need you." She then stomped off, leaving Viktor feeling dumfounded and in pain. They'd gotten along so well in recent years that he felt sad they were now going to be regressing back to their original relationship, but he had to tell her the truth about what class with him would be like, whether she liked it or not.

When Elijah and Selina arrived home, Viktor hobbled off and headed home to Alexandra.

"You'll be pleased to know I've managed to put myself on Amanda's bad side again," he told her.

"Good," Alexandra replied. "Now we might actually get some time alone."

"Although why you'd want that when you feel our sex life is so sub-par is beyond me," Viktor spat.

"I only said that because I was frustrated about how much attention you were giving that little girl," Alexandra told him. "I didn't really mean it."

"I think you did," Viktor sighed. "But I won't push the issue anymore. I've had more than enough fighting for one day."

"Good," Alexandra nodded and patted the empty mattress beside her. "Why don't we cuddle instead?"

"Oh, what the hell?" Viktor sighed and began undressing. "It's not like I have anything better to do."

* * *

"Did something happen between you and Viktor today?" Elijah asked Amanda as she sipped some blood before bed. "When your mother and I showed up, he left really fast. And he was hobbling."

"That's because I kicked him," Amanda replied.

"Why did you do that?" Elijah wanted to know. "Your mother and I didn't raise you to hurt people."

"Cause he told me that when I have class with him, he's gonna treat me like all the other kids instead of treating me special," Amanda explained. "And I don't like that."

"You might not like it, but it's a fact of life," Elijah explained. "There are rules and you have to follow them, no matter how much you don't want to. And I will applaud Viktor for standing his ground with you. I am too, you know."

Amanda growled. "This isn't fair!" She cried.

"Why not?" Elijah asked. "You're a very smart girl. It's not like you'll ever have to worry about being behind the other children in your lessons."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Amanda huffed and turned away from him. "Would you just let me sleep, please?"

"All right," Elijah sighed. "But I side with Viktor about this, you know. I won't change my mind!"

Amanda then threw one of her throw pillows at him. It missed and knocked over a lamp as he shut the door behind him and went to back to Selina, resisting the urge to look up the name of the boarding school he'd sent Annaliese to so he could sent Amanda there as well, cause she was in need of a serious behavior adjustment.


	48. Now You See Her, Now You Don't

"You're not gonna overdo it with Amanda, are you?" Selina asked the next morning. "I know we need to do something about her behavior, but sending her away won't help. Please tell me you learned something from the whole Annaliese situation."

"Oh, I did," Elijah nodded. "And that's why I'm not gonna deal with this alone. You're going to help me."

"That's very sensible," Selina replied. "A perfect choice that shows you _have_ actually learned something."

When Amanda came to the breakfast table, Selina told her, "You and are going to see Viktor so you can apologize to him for your behavior yesterday."

"Yeah, I kicking him was bad," Amanda nodded. "But he just made me so mad!"

"Even if someone makes you angry, hurting them is not the way to deal with it," Selina told her firmly. "I know, believe me. It might seem like it'll make you feel better, but it doesn't."

"How do you know?" Amanda asked curiously.

"Because your mother used to handle her anger by hurting people too," Elijah told her. "In fact, that's probably where you got it from. But she got beyond that, and so will you."

"And are you _really_ so mad at Viktor that you want to throw your whole relationship with him away?" Selina asked.

"No," Amanda said after a moment. "Not really."

"Good," Selina smiled. "So, are you going to apologize to him for what you did?"

"Yes," Amanda nodded. "But I don't know if he'll want to talk to me if we just try to get him to come over here."

"Well, you don't have school on Monday and I have to teach class then, so why don't I just take you with me?" Selina suggested. "You can see him then, and I'm sure that when you apologize, as long as you're really sincere, he'll forgive you."

"You think?" Amanda wanted to know.

"Yes, I do," Selina nodded.

"But since your mother is taking you to work with her, you have to be good," Elijah told her. "And be as grown up as you can be."

"Yes, I will," Amanda promised him. Then, she turned to her mother. "When do we leave tomorrow?" She asked eagerly.

"I start teaching at nine, so I'll probably have to come and wake you so you can dress on time and stuff," Selina told her. "Is that all right with you?"

"Yes," Amanda nodded. "It sure is!"

* * *

Viktor was surprised when he came into his class on Monday before any of his students were there and saw Amanda sitting in the one of the desks in the back.

"What are _you _doing here?" He asked in surprise.

Amanda then got out of her seat and approached his desk. "I wanna say sorry for kicking you," she said. "It was very wrong of me."

"Well, thank you for apologizing," Viktor told her. "I'm glad that you and I can still be friends. How did you get here, anyway? I know your mother is teaching class. Did she bring you?"

"Yes," Amanda nodded. "Can I stay and watch you teach? I'll be very quiet and good. I promise."

"All right," Viktor said after a short silence. "But I'll need you to sit in the back and absolutely _swear_ that you won't be disruptive, okay?"

"Okay," Amanda nodded. "But if I know an answer, can I raise my hand?"

Viktor shrugged. "I guess."

"Okay!" Amanda nodded and went to sit in the back of the room as other students began to file in. They gave her strange looks but she just smiled back, and when everyone was all seated and Viktor was set to begin class, one of the kids raised his hand. "Who's the kid in the back?" He asked.

"That's Amanda," Viktor replied. "She's Mr. Mikaelson and Ms. Warren's daughter. She'll be sitting in class today."

"But she's a kid!" That same boy remarked. "What is she, like four?"

"Actually, I'm almost five!" Amanda replied, standing up on her chair so that the whole class could see her. She then sat down and smiled at Viktor. "You can teach now," she said.

"Thank you," Viktor told her dryly. "That's very kind of you."

He taught the lesson and to his surprise, Amanda was reasonably well behaved (except for the display of wild fidgeting and noise she made when she had to go to the bathroom, but that was more his fault for not noticing her and letting her go right away than hers.) She made it to the bathroom in time, however, and when she returned, she sat in silence in the back of the room again. She made it through the day with very few interruptions, and when Selina came to get her at the end of the day, Viktor was actually a little sad to see her go.

* * *

"So tell me again what brought you to my doorstep?" Klaus requested of Robbie while they drove around and talked.

"Oh, it was just…everyone was treating me like shit and I didn't know where else to go," Robbie replied. "Even my girlfriend turned on me. Literally! When we met, she was one of the sweetest human girls ever, and then when she finds out she can't have kids, she just decides to have her ex-husband turn her into a vampire behind my back!"

"And what's wrong with her being a vampire?" Klaus wanted to know. "It just gives her a whole eternity to see what the world has to offer."

"She didn't need to become a vampire to see all that!" Robbie shook his head. "And that's my point! Eli said that it was her choice to change so I should respect it, and I get that, but it's so fucking hard!"

"Wait, Eli?" Klaus asked. "Like my brother's grandson?"

"Yep, him," Robbie nodded, eyes narrowing. "He tries to act so good and superior when really, he's just a no-good, lying jerk like everyone else!" Then, he had to put on the breaks of Klaus' car fast as another car cut in front of him and they bumped into each other. The other car stopped and as both he and the other driver got out, he swore. It was Louisa who'd bumped into him.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"Just let me fix the damage, get in your car, and drive away," Robbie replied. "I think that would be better for both of us."

"All right," Louisa nodded. "If that's what you want."

"Yeah," Robbie nodded without looking Louisa in the eye. "It is." He fixed both cars and then after looking at the top of his head for a little bit, Louisa finally concluded that he wouldn't look at her, so with a quick, "Thank you, Robbie," and handing him a wad of money before she got in her car and drove away.

Robbie got in the car after that and Klaus looked at him with a grin. "That woman who crashed into us," he said. "Who is it?"

"That's _her_ if you can believe it," Robbie scoffed. "That's Louisa."

"Well, she's a beautiful girl," Klaus remarked proudly. "I can see why you like her."

"Oh, the only reason why she's so pretty now is cause I made her that way," Robbie scoffed. "Before I got my hands on her, she was a nobody. I made her better and how does she thank me for it? She turns on me!" He growled and honked the horn for a bit before stopping.

"What was that about?" Klaus asked. Then, he noticed the money in Robbie's fist. "Where'd that come from?"

"She gave it to me," Robbie replied. "When we first made the deal for me to fancy her up, I told her that I'd do it for five hundred dollars: half before we finished the process and half after. This is the second half."

"And what's the problem with that?" Klaus asked.

"It means that she doesn't want me anymore!" Robbie replied. "Not that that wasn't obvious after she chose to turn, but now this just confirms it!"

"Would you like to go to Roxie's?" Klaus asked. "It seems like you need it."

"You're damn right I do!" Robbie said. "Let's go!"

* * *

When they returned home from the bar late that night, Klaus was standing upright and holding Robbie, who was so drunk he could barely stay on his feet.

"What happened?" Amy asked when she got a good look at Robbie. "Klaus, why did you let him drink so much?"

"He wanted to," Klaus replied. "And after all he's been through, I'm not gonna stop him."

"Oh, my god!" Amy sighed. She and Klaus got Robbie to bed and shut the door, once they were gone, Robbie grabbed Louisa's money and zapped himself to Claire's, landing right outside the front door. He couldn't tell in the dark if the door was open or not (it wasn't, even though he thought it was), so he kept running into it and falling down until the door finally opened for real and he fell against Louisa and got sick all over her night gown.

"Oh, my god!" Louisa cried. "Robbie, you have to come inside. What's the matter with you?" Ignoring the mess all over her, she tried to get him to come inside, but he resisted and just threw the money at her instead. "You take this," he slurred. "I don't want it!"

"Okay, fine!" Louisa cried, taking the money back. "But you're not leaving here! You're too sick." She got him as far as the couch before he refused to move anymore, then she tucked him in with a blanket that was hanging over the back of the sofa and waited until he was snoring, then gave him a kiss on the cheek before heading back upstairs to change her pajamas and go back to bed.


	49. Coming Back Together

It didn't take long for Louisa to realize that being a vampire was no picnic, and that it was even more difficult without Robbie's help. She tried her best to stick to the woods and feed on animals so she wouldn't put any hapless humans in danger, but that was harder than it seemed, and one day, her hunger led her to pin down and feed from a hunter who had the misfortune of crossing her path in the woods on a day when bunnies and squirrels were scarce. She drank much more from him than she intended and as he got up to run away, instinct told her to kill him, which she did, then dragged his body into a thicket to hide it from view. She then looked down at the man and apologized as tears fell from her eyes, some landing on the man's body.

Not knowing what else to do, she called Robbie to tell him what had happened. Resentfully, he appeared in the woods, looked from the man's still body to her blood-covered face, and snapped, "You see? This is exactly why I didn't want you to change yet! Cause you're not ready to do what you need to do!" He made the body disappear, and then pulled some wet naps out of his pocket and wiped off her face with them like she was a child.

"I don't know why I'm helping you," he said. "I should have just let you deal with this on your own."

"You're right," Louisa told him. "I wasn't ready to change, and I'm sorry I did. I should have stayed human like you wanted, at least until you had time to teach me all the vampire stuff. But now that that ship has sailed, will you help me, Robbie? Please?"

Robbie gave her a long look, sighed, and then took her into his arms and gave her a kiss. "You really drive me crazy, kid," he said, looking into her eyes. "You know that, right?"

"Yeah," Louisa nodded. "I know that. Can we go home?"

"Yeah, we might as well," Robbie nodded. "There's no use sticking around the scene of the crime, is there?" He took her hand and they popped home together, where, as Louisa moved her coat, Robbie noticed she was shivering.

"You really should take a bath or shower or something to warm up," he commented.

"I'll try, but that's never really done the trick for me," Louisa replied.

"What if I came in with you?" Robbie asked, "You know, for body warmth and all."

"Yeah," Louisa nodded. "I'm sure you just want to come into the bath with me for body warmth."

"So can I take it as a 'Yes'?" He wanted to know.

"Okay," Louisa nodded and took his hand. They were almost to the bathroom when Louisa paused. "I think that maybe I should call my mother and tell her that we've reconciled," she said. "All Mom knows is that I went out hunting and it will probably alarm her when she realizes that I've not come back."

Robbie went and got his phone, and handed it to her. "Go ahead," he said. "Call Claire."

"All right," Louisa replied. She punched in her mother's number and pressed the call button. It rang one or two times and then her mother picked up. "Hello?"

"Mom, it's me, Louisa," Louisa replied. "I just want you to know that Robbie and I have made up, so I'm back at his house now and you don't need to worry."

"That's wonderful!" Claire replied. "I was hoping this tiff between the two of you wouldn't last long."

"I'm glad it didn't last too long myself," Louisa replied. Then she looked at Robbie who was giving her a very hot, intense stare, and quickly said, "All right, Mom. I just wanted to let you know why I wouldn't be coming back to your house. Gotta go now. Bye!" She then handed Robbie back his phone, he went to go put it in its usual spot, and then when he returned, the two of them raced to the bathroom. Louisa started the bath and then Robbie watched as she stripped, clicking his tongue when he saw her arms and legs were covered in goosebumps. He took off his shirt and held her against his body in an attempt to warm her up.

"Is it working?" He asked. "Are you warm?"

"I don't know," Louisa replied and then nibbled on his earlobe. "But even if I'm not, I like it anyway."

"Well, good," Robbie told her. He held her until the bath filled up, then watched as she got in the tub, removed her glasses (which she still wore for aesthetic purposes, even though, being a vampire, she didn't actually need them anymore), and then watched Robbie undress the rest of the way with a grin on her face.

When he got in next to her (something that was easy to do cause he'd made the tub large on purpose), She settled herself in his arms again for a time before he lathered up a loofah and began slowly, gently (and thoroughly) scrubbing her body.

"Is this helping?" He asked. "You don't seem to be shivering anymore."

"Oh, it's helping all right," Louisa replied, and gasped as she felt him gently nudge her legs apart so he could scrub in between them. She began emitting short, panting breaths, and then pulled Robbie toward her to kiss him. She then paused and Robbie asked, "What? What's the matter?" Before a smile broke out across her face.

"Oh, it's nothing," Louisa replied as she reached down to stroke him. "I was just about to freak out cause I hadn't taken my pills in a while, and then I realized that it doesn't matter since I can't have kids anyway. That's the upside of this, I guess."

"Sure," Robbie nodded. "If you wanna look at it that way." He then resumed kissing her, and as she threw her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through his hair, he slipped inside her, and to his surprise, she nipped his neck and slowly licked the blood up, something that felt very good, although the effect was somewhat ruined when he had to detach her and tell her to stop.

With a contrite expression, she apologized and they got out of the tub, drained the bloody water, toweled each other off, and then resumed running their hands over each other's bodies after hopping into bed.

* * *

"You should take me to class with you more," Amanda told Selina. "I like it."

"Did you really?" Selina asked. "Well, good! And it didn't seem like you made trouble for Viktor, so I'm very proud of you for that."

"You should be," Amanda nodded. "Cause sometimes, it was very hard!"

"Why?" Selina asked. "Were the other kids mean to you?"

"No, but Viktor's talking made me sleepy," Amanda replied.

"Sometimes that happens," Selina sighed.

Viktor came over again a few days later, and he asked Amanda, "Did you enjoy being in class with me?"

"It was okay," Amanda replied. "But if you sang instead of talking, it would be much more interesting."

"Is that so?" Viktor asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," Amanda nodded. "It is."

"I'll make a note of that," Viktor replied, even though he was only saying it to humor her.

But when she came to visit his class again (eliciting groans from the other students), he begrudgingly kept his promise and sang the entire lesson, which caused the whole class to burst into laughter while absolutely no one took any notes whatsoever.

When it was all over and everyone was heading out, a smiling Amanda came to stand by Viktor's desk. "That was fun!" She smiled, even though Viktor was blushing furiously now. (His singing hadn't been in tune at all.)

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself because I'm not torturing myself like that again," he informed her.

"Fine," Amanda replied. "I'll just stay in baking class with Mommy then and not come visit you anymore."

"I think that would be best for both of us," Viktor replied as Selina came running in and frowned at Amanda.

"There you are!" She cried. "How could you leave my class without telling me where you went?"

"I'm sorry," Amanda apologized. "I just wanted to see Viktor sing his lesson."

"You _sang_ the entire lesson?" Selina asked him incredulously. "Was it Amanda's idea? You know, if she suggests something to you, that doesn't mean you actually have to do it."

"Oh, I know," Viktor replied. "And believe me, I'll remember that for the future."

Selina then took Amanda's hand and brought her back to her classroom, ordering her to stay there for the rest of the day, and not bother Viktor again, a command Amanda only grudgingly agreed to.

* * *

Rebecca opened the door in answer to a rapid knock and found Robbie and Louisa on the other side. He was holding a pie, and she was holding a cake.

"Yes?" Rebecca asked.

"I know we failed spectacularly with your wedding thing before, but now we want to try it again," Louisa replied. "Robbie and I have mended fences with each other and now we wanna try and do it with you."

"I don't know," Rebecca replied. "I mean, it's a nice thought, don't get me wrong, but…"

"Cake!" Luke said, appearing as if out of nowhere and ran at Louisa, and looking very excited. "I want cake!"

"Oh, all right," Rebecca replied and picked up her son to stop him from pushing Louisa over. "Come in, you two. We might as well not waste it. Eli's gone anyway, so now's as good a time as any for you to be here."

With a mumbled "Thank you," both Robbie and Louisa came in and set the treats on the kitchen table. Rebecca cut a small piece of the cake (which turned out to be chocolate under white frosting) for Luke and took a small piece of cherry pie for herself, and after Louisa and Robbie took what they wanted, they talked.

"How was the wedding?" Robbie asked. "Was it nice?"

"Yeah, it was," Louisa nodded. "I understand why you didn't want to be there, although your grandmother threatened to drag you there by your ears."

"Well, when you and Eli celebrate your first anniversary, and all subsequent special anniversaries, and have parties for them, we'll come to those," Robbie promised.

"That would be nice," Rebecca replied with a smile. Then, she looked at Louisa. "How's being a vampire working for you?" She asked.

"I did it too early," Louisa admitted. "But I'm getting better. Robbie's helping to teach me the ropes."

"Good," Rebecca smiled. "It's nice to be taught by someone who knows what they're doing. I wasn't much of a help to him when it came to learning all the vampire stuff."

"Maybe not right away," Robbie told her. "But you got there eventually. Considering that you weren't even expecting me to be a vampire at all, you did a great job rolling with it."

"Well, thank you," Rebecca told him. "That's so sweet of you to say."

Then, Luke tapped on his mother's shoulder and held out his empty plate. "May I have some more cake, please?" He asked.

"All right," Rebecca agreed and ruffled his hair. "But just one more small one. You don't want to ruin your dinner."

Robbie and Louisa stayed and chatted with Rebecca until they heard Eli's car pull up, and then beat a hasty retreat, popping up at home, breathing a sigh of relief, and cuddling in each other's arms on the living room sofa.


	50. Ready For The Future

"You know, I'm kind of bummed that I missed Robbie and Louisa stopping by the other day," Eli told Rebecca.

"They heard you coming and they just sprinted off," Rebecca replied. "You scared them away. You think you and Robbie will ever be able to get along?"

"Oh, it's possible," Eli replied. "I mean, I'll try for your sake, but I don't know how long it will be 'til that happens. If it ever does, I mean."

"Well, I'm proud of you for trying, at least," Rebecca replied. "Cause Robbie and I are getting along better now than we ever have, which should say something about how our relationship was before. It's kind of sad, really."

"Oh, don't think about that," Eli said and kissed her. "Things are better for you now. You've got me, you've got Luke, your mother is getting off your back…that's all good, don't you think?"

"Yeah, it is," Rebecca nodded. "And all it took was me getting kidnapped, having my mind messed with, and my knight in shining armor volunteering to fix me, even though I was a pain in the butt."

"True," Eli nodded. "I could have gone without that two year separation though," he kissed Luke's hair and his son gave him a hug. "There's so much I missed out on."

"I know, but don't worry," Rebecca assured him. "We'll never be separated again, I swear." Then she smiled. "And next time I have a kid, you'll be with me every miserable step of the way."

"Are you saying you're pregnant?" Eli asked, eyebrow raised.

"No!" Rebecca shook her head. "I'm saying that when I am _next time_, you'll be here for the whole thing. That'll be the first time that's ever happened to me."

"Well, I can't wait for it," Eli told her. "Now that we're together, you won't get rid of me so easily."

"Oh, I know that," she told him. "If you could handle me when I was nutty in the woods, I think it would take more than a pregnancy to drive you away wouldn't it?"

"Nothing will drive me away," Eli replied firmly. "I promise. You and Luke are my life now, no doubt about that."

* * *

"What's going on?" Robbie asked as he saw Louisa carrying a bunch of books to the kitchen table. "Are you studying? You have class tonight, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do," Louisa nodded and grabbed several Tootsie pops out of her purse (sucking on them as she did her reading and homework helped her retain information), unwrapping a cherry one and getting out a book, opening it to the right section before popping the sucker in her mouth.

Robbie knew he should leave her alone and let her do what she needed to get done, but he just couldn't stop staring. Finally, she looked up, removed the sucker, and said dryly, "May I help you?"

"No, I'm good, thanks," Robbie said, trying to make a retreat, but finding it difficult cause he was aroused. "I'm just gonna-I'm just gonna let you study, all right? If you need anything from me, just let me know."

"All right," Louisa called after him as she smirked to herself. "I will, Robbie. Don't worry."

* * *

When Louisa got back from class that night, she found Robbie standing by the door in a suit with his usually shaggy hair slicked back. "What's up with you?" She asked with a smile. "I mean, you look nice and all, but what's the occasion?"

"Well, I think that the separation we had was really bad for both of us," Robbie replied. "And that we have some lost time to make up for. Also, I want you to have a chance to show off all our hard work." He pulled the money she'd given him out of his pocket. "I know this was for me, but I think we should use it for a nice dinner for the two of us. What do you think?"

"Well, sure!" Louisa nodded. "All right."

"It's great that you agree," Robbie said and followed her to their room. After Louisa was dressed in what she thought of as her prettiest dress (deep blue with fringe that stopped just above the knees), and as they got to the door, Robbie made a phone call.

"Who are you calling?" Louisa asked.

"You'll see," Robbie smiled. He took her outside the house and she watched in shock as a limo rode smoothly down the street, parked right in front of them, and a nicely dressed man hopped out and opened the back door for her. "Hello, ma'am," he told her. "I hope you're well this evening."

"Yes, thank you," Louisa said and let out an excited squeal as Robbie followed her in and the limo door was shut behind them.

"This is so exciting!" Louisa cried. "Thank you for doing this for me."

"I thought it would be a nice surprise for you," Robbie smiled. She then noticed a small brown paper bag that he was trying to shove out of her sight. "What's in there?" She asked.

"Nothing you're allowed to see right now," he told her. "You have to wait!"

"Okay," Louisa replied. "But you're doing a very bad job of hiding it if it's another surprise."

"Oh, it _is _another surprise," Robbie smiled at her. "And when it's time for you to get it, I think you'll really like it."

"Oh?" Louisa smiled. "I can't wait!"

* * *

When they reached the restaurant, they were lead to a table right in the middle of everyone, and all the patrons stared as they passed by.

"What's everyone looking at?" Louisa asked worriedly.

"They're looking at you because you're beautiful," Robbie replied. When they sat down to eat, Louisa noticed that there were still two empty chairs.

"Who's joining us?" She asked. "And why?"

"You'll see," Robbie smiled. "And it's no one bad, I promise."

Her question was answered a few minutes later when Mikael showed up with her mother on his arm and they both filled the empty spots at the table.

"Are you two a thing now?" Louisa asked, looking back and forth between them. "Is that the big surprise?"

"No, we just came here to be witnesses to the big surprise," her mother told her. "Mikael is still very much married to Robbie's grandmother, although she has no idea that he and I went out tonight. She still thinks that that potion she gave me made me forget him, when really, I didn't take the whole batch she left with me, so the effects weren't permanent."

Mikael heard this and smiled. "Pulling something on my wife like that is something a true student of mine would do. It's nice to know you haven't forgotten all my lessons, Claire."

"Well, it's like you always told us in fencing," Claire replied. "Watch your opponent every minute, and whichever way they go, find a way to block them."

Mikael laughed again. "I just can't believe Gwendolyn didn't make absolutely sure you'd finish that potion. She's getting lax. I should taunt her about it mercilessly when I get home."

"Hey, can we talk about _us_ now? Louisa and me?" Robbie asked. "That's why we're here."

But then the server came with menus and they ordered drinks and decided what food to get, and after ordering that, Louisa just blurted out, "You're not gonna propose to me, are you, Robbie? I mean, not that I wouldn't want to marry you if you did, but it's just that we haven't discussed it, and-"

"Calm down," Robbie told her gently. "I mean, can you really, honestly see me getting married?"

"No," Louisa shook her head. "Not really. But now I think I feel a little disappointed."

"Well, then, have these," Robbie said and took the bouquet of different colored Tootsie pops with a blue ribbon tied around them out of the brown paper bag. "It's not a ring, and it's not a proposal, but I just want to tell you that I don't think I need to be married to know how committed I am to you. Cause there's never gonna be anyone else for me, kid."

"Really?" Louisa asked. "That's so sweet! I wasn't expecting this. I just thought we were going out to dinner!" She gave him a smile, but then happy tears began streaming down her face and Claire had to hold on to her until she calmed down.

"Did I do something wrong?" Robbie asked Mikael.

"No, you did all right," he said as they watched Louisa wipe her eyes with a tissue. "I think she was just surprised is all."

Then Louisa said, "I feel the same way you do, and I wish…I wish I had something to give you too."

"It doesn't matter," Robbie replied and kissed her. "Us using the other half of the money you gave me to pay for dinner is good enough."

"Okay," Louisa nodded and kissed him again. "I love you, Robbie."

He smiled. "I love you too," he said and took her in his arms again as the entire restaurant applauded.

* * *

"So, your mother says you don't enjoy preschool so much anymore," Viktor told Amanda. "Is that true?"

"Yes, it is!" Amanda nodded fervently. "It's all about learning boring stuff with boring humans. I've learned everything we talk about at preschool already. What I learn at big kid school is more fun!"

"Well, maybe I can talk to your father and Alistair and the three of us can make up a little advanced learning plan for you. Would you like that?"

"Yes, I would," Amanda smiled at him. "I like the idea of you being my teacher."

"Well, that's very sweet of you," Viktor told her. "I think I'll like teaching you too. From what I've seen when you've been in class with me, you learn things quickly."

"Yes, I do," Amanda nodded. "_Very _quickly."

Amanda then noticed her father come into the room. "Viktor says that you and Alistair and him are gonna give me big kid lessons like you do at school."

"Well, would you be interested in that?" Elijah asked.

"Yes, I would!" Amanda nodded. "I can't wait to have Viktor teach me! Oh, and you and Alistair too!"

"Thank you for making that distinction so that I don't feel left out," Elijah told her dryly.

"You're welcome," Amanda smiled. "Since I'm having grown up school lessons, do I still have to go to preschool?"

"Yes, of course you still have to go to preschool!" Elijah told her, which made her pout. "You don't have too much longer. You'll be starting kindergarten at our school next fall."

"I will?" Amanda asked. "How long is it until next fall?"

"Eleven months or so," Elijah replied. "Maybe ten. So don't be too eager."

"Oh, okay," Amanda replied with a put upon sigh.

* * *

When they started Amanda's lessons, Alistair and Elijah were able to teach Amanda without trouble, but every time it was Viktor's turn, he found himself allowing her to get off target and do something fun instead.

Finally, he realized this and tried to be serious with her. "I don't think I should give you lessons anymore," he said firmly.

"Why not?" She asked. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," Viktor sighed, "It's not you. It's me. I'm just so used to being your friend that I can't make you focus or discipline you, and those aren't good traits in a teacher." He paused and wrote something down.

"What are you writing?" Amanda wanted to know.

"Just a note for myself," Viktor told her. "To mention to the administration when you start kindergarten not to put you in my class while you're at school. I think it would be better for both of us."

"Yeah, well I don't like you either!" Amanda replied and stomped off, presumably to complain about him to Elijah while Viktor went home and prepared the next day's lesson for his _actual _students, feeling very grateful that the next time he taught Amanda, if he ever did, it would be years and years from now.

**The End**

**Coming up next: Viktor and Amanda's story, Lessons On Love**


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